TALES 


DRAMAS 


HORARY     ! 

UNIVU  SlTY   Of 

SAN  OIEOO 


Mr.  Kichiyemon  as  Mitsuhide 


Tales    from    Old 
Japanese  Dramas 

By 

Asataro   Miyamori 

Professor  of  English   in    Keio   University.   ToKyo. 
Japan 

AvitHor  of   "Representative  Tales  of  Japan  " 
Revised  by 

Stanley  HxagHes 

Professor  of  EnglisH   in   Keio   University,  ToKyo, 
Japan 


With  44  Illustrations 


G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons 

Ne-w    YorK    and    London 

Cbc    ImfclierbocKer 
1915 


FOREWORD 

EOPLE  in  England  and  America 
probably  do  not  realize  what  a 
large  part  is  played  by  the  Theatre 
in  the  life  of  the  Japanese  people. 
This  volume  will  help  to  give  them  some  idea  of 
it;  and,  as  a  nation,  like  an  individual,  reveals 
perhaps  more  of  its  true  self  in  its  amusements 
than  in  the  serious  business  of  life,  a  perusal  of 
these  pages,  giving  as  they  do  an  idea  of  the 
stories  which  appeal  most  strongly  to  the  taste  of 
the  Japanese  public,  may  help  towards  a  wider 
understanding  of  the  Japanese  national  character. 
The  hold  which  the  classical  drama  still  exercises 
on  the  theatre-goers  of  Japan  may  come  as  a  sur- 
prise to  many,  but  should  provide  a  strong  link 
of  sympathy  to  the  country  from  which  Shake- 
speare's genius  sprung.  In  recommending  this 
short  history  of  the  Japanese  stage  from  the 
earliest  times  down  to  the  present  day,  to  all  who 
are  interested  in  the  evolution  of  the  drama 

iii 


iv  FOREWORD 


throughout  the  world,  I  feel  confident  that  I  am 
rendering  them  a  genuine  service,  and  if  others, 
who  are  anxious  on  more  general  lines  to  endeavour 
to  learn  more  of  the  spirit  and  genius  of  the 
people  of  this  Empire,  will  devote  a  short  time  to 
the  study  of  this  subject,  I  am  sure  they  will  be 
more  than  repaid  for  their  pains. 

KlLMARNOCK. 

BRITISH  EMBASSY,  TOKYO, 
March  20, 1915. 


PREFACE 

HERE  are  three  great  periods  in  the 
history  of  Japanese  literature:  the 
Nara  Period  (710-784),  the  Heian 
Period  (800-1186),  and  the  Yedo 
Period  (1603-1867);  and  as  the  Manny o  Shu,  an 
anthology,  and  the  Genji  Monogatari,  a  romance, 
are  respectively  the  representative  masterpieces 
of  the  first  two  periods,  so  the  joruri  or  epical 
dramas  are  the  representative  productions  of  the 
Yedo  Period. 

The  following  tales  are  condensed  and  adapted 
from  famous  epical  dramas  by  Chikamatsu  Mon- 
zayemon,  the  "Shakespeare  of  Japan,"  Ki-no- 
Kaion,  Chikamatsu  Hanji,  and  five  other  great 
writers.  With  the  exception  of  The  Love  of 
Komachi  the  Poetess,  these  dramas  are  very 
long,  and  exceedingly  intricate  in  plot,  so  that  in 
most  cases,  one  or  two  acts  only  of  each  piece, 
which  are  of  permanent  interest,  are  chanted  or 
performed.  The  present  author  has  done  his  best 


vi  PREFACE 

to  select  the  essential  points  of  these  dramas, 
while  omitting  tedious  details  which  have  no 
important  connection  with  the  main  plot.  He 
has  also  endeavoured  to  give  a  brief  account  of 
such  passages  as  are  essential  to  the  main  plot, 
but  are  of  little  interest,  and  to  reproduce,  in  their 
original  form,  as  far  as  possible,  those  acts  which 
are  usually  chanted  or  performed. 

The  author's  best  thanks  are  due  to  Mr.  Masu- 
kichi  Suishu,  who  gave  him  valuable  assistance  in 
the  choice  and  condensation  of  the  originals;  to 
Professor  A.  W.  Playfair,  who  revised  the  manu- 
script of  one  of  these  stories,  and  to  Mr.  Sakay6 
Okano  for  the  preparation  of  the  cover  design. 

A.  M. 

TOKYO, 
March, 


CONTENTS 

PAGB 

INTRODUCTION   .......        i 

THE  LOVE  OF  KOMACHI  THE  POETESS        .        .31 
From  The  Ono-no-Komachi  Miyako  no  Toshi- 
dama 

BY  KI-NO-KAION 

THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE    ....      65 
From  The  Yehon  Taiko-Ki 
BY  CHIKAMATSU  YANAGI 

O-SOME  AND  HlSAMATSU     .....      117 

From  The  Shimpan  Uta  Zaimon 
BY  CHIKAMATSU  HANJI 

THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI    .        .        .        .153 

From  The  Ichi-no-tani  Futaba  Gunki 
BY  NAMIKI 


THE  SUFFERINGS  OF  Miss  "DEEP-SNOW"          .    205 
From  The  Sho-utsushi  Asagao  Banashi 
BY  YAM  AD  A  KAGASHI 

KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE     .....    273 
From  The  Hakone  Reigen  Izari  Kataki-uchi 
BY  CHIKAMATSU  TOKUZO 


viii  CONTENTS 


THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY  OF  YAGUCHI        .    323 
From  The  Shinrei  Yaguchi  no  Watashi 
BY  HIRAGA  GENNAI 

THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENYA  ';  '  "* .       .        .    359 
From  The  Kokusenya  Kassen 
BY  CHIKAMATSU  MONZAYEMON 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

MR.  KICHIYEMON  AS  Mitsuhide        .     Frontispiece 

MARIONETTE   PERFORMANCES 

A  SCENE  FROM  The  Chushingura      ...         4 
A  SCENE  FROM  The  Yoshitsune  Sembonzakura    .        4 

A  MARIONETTE  PERFORMANCE  GIVEN  AT  THE 

HORIYEZA,  OSAKA   .         .  .        6 

MR.  UTAYEMON     .         .         .         .         .         .24 

MR.  UTAYEMON  AS  Lady  Yayegaki  .         .         .      24 

MRS.  ROSHO,  THE  MOST  FAMOUS  DRAMA  CHANT- 

RESS     ...       ..       ..       ...         .         .      26 

Miss  FUMIRYU,  A  DRAMA  CHANTRESS      .         .      26 

MR.  SETTSU  DAIJO,  THE  MOST  FAMOUS  DRAMA 

CHANTER  (ON  THE  LEFT)          ...       28 

A   MARIONETTE   PERFORMANCE 

A  SCENE  FROM  0-Some  and  Hisamatsu      .         .       30 

MARIONETTE    PERFORMANCES 

A  SCENE  FROM  The  Sendai-Hagi      ...       30 
A  SCENE  FROM  The  Sekitori  Senryo  Nobori         .       30 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


MARIONETTE   PERFORMANCES 

A  SCENE  FROM  The  Taiko-Ki  ....  30 

A  SCENE  FROM  The  Gotaiheiki  Shiraishibanashi  30 

MARIONETTE   PERFORMANCES 

A  SCENE  FROM  Yugiri  and  Izayemon         .         .  30 

A  SCENE  FROM  The  Kokusenya         ...  30 

MR.  SONOSUKE 34 

MR.  SONOSUKE  AS  Lady  Komachi    ...  34 

"Ix  Is  I,  SIR,"  ANSWERED  THE  GIRL,  DISGUIS- 
ING HER  VOICE       .....  42 

"BRING  ME  THAT  ARMOUR-CHEST.    QUICK!"    .  100 
MR.  NIZAYEMON    .        .        .         .         .        .102 

MR.  NIZAYEMON  AS  Mitsuhide         .         .         .  102 

MR.  BAIKO 136 

MR.  BAIKO  AS  0-Mitsu 136 

O-Some   and   Hisamatsu    PRODUCED    AT    THE 

IMPERIAL  THEATRE  .         .         .         .         .138 

HISAMATSU  TOOK  A  PALANQUIN  AND  THE  GIRLS 

BOARDED  A  BOAT    .....  146 


ILLUSTRATIONS  xi 

PAGE 

TADANORI,  CARRYING  THE  BRANCH  OF  CHERRY- 
BLOSSOMS  ON  His  BACK,  SET  OUT  ON  His 

JOURNEY 170 

"You  ARE  A  GENERAL  OF  THE  TAIRA  ARMY, 
ARE  You  NOT?"  HE  ASKED,  HOLDING  UP 

AN  OPEN  FAN        .....  186 

MR.  KOSHIRO  AS  Kumagai      ....  198 

MR.  YAOZO 202 

MR.  YAOZO  AS  Kumagai         ....  202 

THE  YOUNG  WARRIOR  FELL  TO  WRITING  ON  A 

Tanzaku          ......  208 

A  MOB  OF  URCHINS  PELTED  HER  WITH  STONES  238 

MR.  GADO  AS  Asagao     .....  252 
MR.  GADO  AS  KozukS     .        .        .        .         .280 

CONVEYED  IN  THE  WAGGON  BY  HATSUHANA, 

HE  WENT  TO  THE  TEMPLE  GROUNDS         .  308 

BUT  A  WARRIOR  SEIZED  THE  TAIL  OF  His  HORSE  334 

SHE  SMILED  ARCHLY  AND .        .        .  346 

MR.   UTAYEMON  AS  0-FunS  (ON  THE  LEFT), 

MR.  DANSHIRO  AS  Tombei  (ON  THE  RIGHT)  .  350 

THE  NITTA  SHRINE 356 


xii  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

A  "BATTLE  OF  FLOWERS"  WAS  TO  BE  FOUGHT  364 

SHE  THEN  HELD  UP  A  MIRROR        .        .        .  388 

MR.  KOSHIRO 398 

MR.  KOSHIRO  AS  Kokusenya   ....  398 


Tales  from  Old  Japanese  Dramas 


Tales  from  Old  Japanese  Dramas 


INTRODUCTION 

|HE  Japanese  drama  is  of  four  classes : 
the  no  (yokyoku)  or  lyrical  drama, 
the  kyogen  or  farce,  the  kyaku-hon 
or  pure  drama,  and  the  joruri  or 
epical  drama. 

The  no  dramas  are  short  lyrical  stories  founded 
for  the  most  part  on  the  folklore  of  Japan,  China, 
and  other  Oriental  countries.  They  are  written 
in  exceedingly  beautiful  language,  and  are  full  of 
quotations  from  ancient  saws  and  songs.  They 
bear  a  curious  resemblance  to  the  old  Greek 
drama  in  that  they  are  entirely  chanted,  in  that 
many  of  the  characters  use  masks,  and  in  that  a 
chorus  takes  up  the  action  where  the  dialogue 
leaves  off.  But  they  are  too  simple  and  primitive 
in  plot,  and  too  deficient  in  lucidity  and  coherence 
to  have  much  value  as  dramas.  These  composi- 


OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 


tions  were  devised  for  the  entertainment  of  the 
military  classes  in  the  Muromachi  Period  (1392- 
1603),  the  Dark  Age  of  Japan;  and  their  perform- 
ance was  favoured  and  protected  by  the  Shogun 
and  other  noblemen.  Their  chanted  recitation 
is  nowadays  in  much  vogue  among  the  upper 
classes. 

The  kyogen  or  farces  are  even  shorter  and  more 
primitive,  and  of  slight  construction.  They  are 
performed  generally  on  the  same  stage  as  the  no, 
in  the  intervals  between  the  more  serious  pieces. 
The  no  and  the  kyogen,  therefore,  may  be  called 
sister  dramas  for  the  upper  classes. 

The  kyaku-hon,  which  are  nearly  the  same  as 
the  European  drama,  were  mostly  written  in  the 
middle  and  the  latter  days  of  the  Yedo  Period. 
They  were,  and  are  much  used  for  the  theatre. 
But  most  of  their  authors  were  minor  writers; 
and  therefore  the  kyaku-hon,  as  a  whole,  do  not 
contain  much  work  of  a  literary  value,  although 
they  are  incomparably  superior  as  dramas  to  the 
no  and  the  kyogen. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  joruri  or  epical  dramas, 
which  were  also  written  in  the  Yedo  Period,  are 
such  valuable  literature,  that  they  are  generally 


INTRODUCTION 


considered  to  be  the  representative  works  of  the 
Yedo  Period,  andjoruri,  and  gikyoku  or  drama,  are 
commonly  used  as  synonyms.  The  joruri  is  in 
form  an  epic  poem,  consisting  of  a  long  story, 
written  largely  in  a  series  of  the  alternation  of 
seven-  and  five-syllable  phrases,  as  follows : 

No-ko-ru  tsu-bo-mi  no 

Ha-na  hi-to-tsu 
Mi-zu  a-ge-ka-ne-shi 

Fu-ze-i  ni-tS 
Shi-an  na-ge-ku-bi 

Shi-o-ru-ru  ba-ka-ri. 
Yo-yo  na-mi-da 

0-shi-to-do-mS 
Ha-ha  sa-ma  ni-mo 

Ba-ba  sa-ma  ni-mo 
Ko-re  kon-jo  no 

1-to-ma-go-i. 
Ko-no  mi-no  ne-ga-i 

Ka-no  ta-re-ba 
0-mo-i  o-ku-ko-to 

Sa-ra-ni  na-shi. 
Etc.  etc. 

"Alone  left,  he  fell  into  reverie,1 
With  drooping  head  like  a  flower  withering, 
Incapable  of  drawing  water  up. 

1  See  Chapter  v.  of  The  Treason  of  Mitsuhide. 


OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 


A  good  while  later,  tears  he  wiped  away, 

And  said  in  whispers,  '  Mother,  grandmother, 

'Tis  my  last  farewell  unto  you,  my  dears. 

As  my  request  is  granted  willingly, 

I  leave  this  world  without  regrets  whate'er. 

How  kindly  eighteen  years  you've  brought  me  up! 

Your  favours  higher  than  the  mountain  are, 

And  deeper  than  the  ocean  depths  indeed ! 

Remember  'tis  a  soldier's  common  lot 

To  bravely  fight  to  death  on  battlefield, 

And  pardon  me  for  leaving  life  ere  you. 

And  now,  Hatsugiku,  'tis  fortunate 

For  us,  that  we've  not  nuptial  cups  exchanged. 

So  give  me  up,  and  wed  another  man. 

But  oh,  poor  girl !  at  tidings  of  my  death, 

How  bitterly  she'll  weep  and  grieve,  methinks!" 

But  in  substance  and  use,  the  joruri  is  a  drama. 
It  has  a  well-marked  movement  of  plot  from  the 
opening  scene,  up  to  the  final  catastrophe;  it 
abounds  in  dramatic  situations,  and  many  of  the 
scenes  are  obviously  designed  with  a  view  to 
spectacular  effect.  It  was  originally  written  for 
the  ayatsuri  shibai,  or  marionette  theatre,  but 
afterwards  its  use  was  also  adopted  for  the  regular 
theatre. 

Its  large  narrative  element,  and  often  a  part 
of  the  dialogue  are  of  the  poetic  character  just 


Marionette  Performances 


A  scene  from  The  Chushingura 


A  scene  from  The  Yoshitsune  Sembonzakum 


INTRODUCTION 


described.  These  parts  are  chanted  to  the  music 
of  the  samisen,  a  three-stringed  guitar,  by  a  chorus 
seated  on  a  platform  overlooking  the  stage,  on 
the  spectator's  right.  The  chorus  also  declaims 
the  speeches  of  the  puppet  actors.  In  the  case 
of  the  theatre  proper,  the  actors  carry  on  all  the 
dialogue,  except  a  part  of  it  just  mentioned,  and 
act  and  dance  to  the  recitation  of  the  narrative 
part,  in  a  similar  manner  to  the  puppets.  The 
narrative  part  not  only  supplies  the  thread  of  the 
story,  in  order  to  connect  the  scenes  represented 
by  the  puppet  actors,  or  the  living  actors  on  the 
stage,  but  aids  the  imagination  of  the  audience 
by  describing  expressions  of  countenance,  scenery, 
and  many  other  details  that  the  resources  of  a 
theatre  cannot  but  fail  to  convey.  Though  the 
joruri  is  poetry,  yet  it  is  written  in  simple  and 
easy  language,  quite  intelligible  even  to  peasants, 
coolies,  and  children.  It  is  emphatically  a  litera- 
ture for  the  masses. 

From  this  general  account  regarding  the  nature 
of  the  epical  drama,  we  may  now  take  a  glance  at 
a  brief  history  of  its  origin  and  development. 
[    Some    time    during    the    Muromachi    Period 
(1392-1603)  the  profession  of  chanting  or  reciting 


OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 


stories  or  popular  histories  in  public  came  into 
existence.  These  recitals  were  accompanied  by 
taps  of  a  fan,  to  mark  time  or  to  give  emphasis. 
The  Taiheiki,  a  sketch  of  the  political  history  of 
the  Kamakura  Period  (1186-1332),  the  Heike- 
Monogatari,  or  the  "  Story  of  the  Taira  Family," 
and  several  children's  stories  were  made  use  of  for 
this  purpose.  Toward  the  close  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  to  this  accompaniment  was  added  the 
music  of  the  samisen,  a  three-stringed  guitar 
introduced  shortly  before  from  Loochoo.  This 
improvement  gave  a  stimulus  to  the  profession 
which  became  more  and  more  popular. 

About  that  time  was  written  a  story  entitled 
Joruri  Junidan  Soshi,  or  the  "  Story  of  Lady 
Joruri."  It  was  in  twelve  acts,  and  had  a  wide 
circulation  among  the  story  reciters.  Tradition 
says  that  its  author  was  a  maid  of  honour  to  Oda 
Nobunaga,  named  Ono  no  Otsu,  but  there  is  no 
authenticity  for  this  belief.  The  following  is  the 
gist  of  the  story: 

A  high-ranked  samurai  in  the  post-town  of 
Yahagi,  in  Mikawa  Province,  prays  the  God 
Joruri  Ko  to  bless  him  with  a  child.  In  response 
to  his  earnest  prayers,  a  beautiful  girl  is  born  to 


a, 


I 

S 

S 


INTRODUCTION 


his  wife.  He  names  the  girl  Joruri  after  the  God. 
Many  years  later,  when  she  is  a  blooming  maiden, 
Shana-o-Maru  (the  famous  hero  Yoshitsune),  on 
his  way  to  Oshyu,  stays  at  Yahagi.  He  and 
Joruri  fall  in  love  with  each  other,  and  exchange 
vows  of  fidelity.  Though  simple  in  plot,  the  story 
embodies  the  rudiments  of  a  drama.  Hencefor- 
ward any  compositions  used  by  the  professional 
reciters  came  to  be  called  joruri,  and  the  reciters 
themselves,  joruri-katari,  or  joruri  chanters;  and 
this  is  the  origin  of  the  name  of  joruri  which  is  now 
applied  to  the  epical  drama. 

In  the  era  of  Keicho  (1596-1615)  a  noted  sami- 
sen  player  of  Kyoto  named  Menukiya  Chozaburo, 
in  conjunction  with  a  certain  Hikita,  a  puppet 
showman  of  Nishinomiya  in  Settsu,  started  the 
art  of  working  marionettes  to  the  accompaniment 
of  joruri  recitation,  and  the  samisen  music.  This 
ayatsuri-shibai,  or  marionette  theatre,  rapidly 
grew  in  general  favour,  so  much  that  the  Emperor 
Go-Yozei  was  pleased  to  summon  the  troupe  to 
his  palace  to  inspect  their  performances. 

Towards  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century 
there  was  in  Yedo  a  great  joruri  chanter  called 
Satsuma  Joun.  His  bold  and  energetic  manner 


8  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

of  recitation  was  well  suited  to  the  martial  spirit 
then  prevalent.  He  not  only  commanded  large 
audiences,  but  daimios  and  other  noblemen  gave 
him  their  patronage.  An  author  named  Oka 
Seibei  is  said  to  have  written  for  him  a  number  of 
stories.  Some  of  them  are  known  as  "Kimpira- 
Bon,"  and  are  still  in  existence.  They  relate  the 
adventures  of  Kimpira,  a  fictitious  hero  of  Hercu- 
lean strength  and  gigantic  stature,  who  achieves 
military  exploits,  destroys  demons,  and  slays 
savage  beasts.  These  stories  were  listened  to 
with  great  interest  by  the  general  public.  They 
particularly  received  an  enthusiastic  welcome 
from  the  ignorant  samurai  of  those  days.  Thus 
Joun  and  his  pupils  enjoyed  great  popularity  for 
some  years. 

Several  years  after  the  death  of  Joun,  a  great 
joruri  chanter  named  Takemoto  Gidayu  made  his 
appearance  in  Osaka.  He  was  gifted  with  a  loud, 
musical  voice,  and  originated  a  new  style  of  reci- 
tation. In  1685  he  established  a  marionette 
theatre  called  the  Takemoto  Za  in  Dotombori, 
Osaka.  The  following  year  he  began  to  chant 
pieces  written  at  his  request  by  Chikamatsu  Mon- 
zayemon,  the  founder  of  the  epical  drama.  Now 


INTRODUCTION 


that  an  era  of  peace  and  refinement  had  prevailed 
for  many  long  years  under  the  Tokugawa  regime, 
the  public  was  tired  of  primitive  stories,  such  as 
" Kimpira-Bon "  and  the  "Story  of  Lady  Joruri," 
chanted  in  a  simple  and  monotonous  manner. 
The  people  craved  for  something  novel  and  exhila- 
rating. Under  the  circumstances  the  Takemoto 
Za  supplied  just  what  was  wanted.  Accordingly, 
Gidayu's  fame  soon  spread  throughout  Japan, 
and  his  style  overshadowed  all  the  other  artistes 
of  that  time.  His  school  flourished  more  and 
more  as  time  went  on,  until  at  last  thejoruri  began 
to  be  more  popularly  called  gidayu  and  its  reciters 
gidayu-katari. 

There  has  been  much  dispute  concerning  the 
birthplace  of  Chikamatsu  Monzayemon.  The 
most  accepted  opinion  was  that  he  was  a  native  of 
Hagi  in  the  province  of  Choshu.  But  most  of  the 
scholars  of  recent  times  have  concluded  that  he 
was  born  a  samurai  of  Kyoto  in  1653.  In  his 
younger  days  he  was  a  Buddhist  priest.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  the  priests  were  then  the 
most  learned  class;  and  it  is  probable  that 
Monzayemon's  great  erudition,  which  afterwards 
blossomed  forth  into  his  immortal  masterpieces, 


io  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

was  acquired  chiefly  during  his  sacerdotal  life. 
Later  he  returned  to  secular  life,  and  for  a  few 
years  served  a  Kyoto  court  noble  as  his  retainer. 
Next  we  find  him  an  author  of  stories  and  kyaku- 
hon  or  pure  dramas.  His  name,  however,  was 
not  widely  known. 

The  Shusse  Kagekiyo,  or  "The  Successful  Career 
of  Kagekiyo,"  his  very  first  epical  drama,  was 
written  for  Gidayu.  It  was  performed  at  the 
Takemoto  Za  in  1686.  The  performance  of  this 
historical  play  raised  the  fame  of  both  its  author 
and  chanter  to  great  prominence.  At  that  time 
a  new  epoch  in  the  literary  and  chanters'  world 
began.  Four  years  later  Monzayemon  took  up 
his  residence  in  Osaka  as  playwright  for  the  Take- 
moto Za.  From  this  time  until  his  death  in  1724 
he  produced,  in  rapid  succession,  about  a  hundred 
pieces.  His  acquaintance  with  the  Chinese  and 
the  Japanese  classics,  and  with  the  Buddhist  and 
Shinto  religions,  his  good  knowledge  of  the  world, 
and  his  fertile  and  inventive  genius,  combined  to 
make  him  a  writer  of  unique  merits. 

The  Nagamachi  Onna  Harakiri,  or  "The  Wom- 
an's Harakiri  at  Long  Street,"  appeared  in  1700. 
This  realistic  drama,  the  very  first  of  his  so-called 


INTRODUCTION  n 

sewa  mono  or  dramas  of  life  and  manners,  of  which 
he  wrote  twenty-four,  was  warmly  welcomed  by 
the  public.  In  1703  appeared  the  Sonezaki  Shinju. 
This  drama  deals  with  the  shinju  or  double  suicide 
of  a  couple  of  young  lovers.  This  was  the  first 
of  the  so-called  shinju-mono,  or  dramas  of  double 
suicide;  and  it  was  so  enthusiastically  received 
by  the  public,  that  this  subject  became  a  favourite 
theme  for  the  work  of  contemporary  dramatists. 
Shinju,  it  must  be  remarked  en  passant,  often 
takes  place  in  Japan.  When  a  pair  of  passionate 
young  lovers  despair  of  obtaining  their  parents' 
permission  for  their  marriage,  or  when  any  other 
circumstance  prevents  them  from  attaining  their 
purpose,  they,  instead  of  eloping,  often  commit 
suicide  together.  By  doing  this,  they  hope  to  be 
united  in  the  next  world.  And  it  is  said  that  the 
Sonezaki  Shinju,  the  Tenno  Amijima,  and  other 
shinju  mono  by  Monzayemon,  which  describe  this 
tragic  suicide  in  beautiful  language,  interested 
the  hearers  to  such  an  extent,  that  after  their 
appearance  the  number  of  cases  of  suicide  among 
lovers  increased  to  an  alarming  extent.  This  was, 
if  it  was  a  fact,  surely  an  evil  influence  of  Mon- 
zayemon's  dramas;  but  it  is  undeniable  that  his 


12  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

works,  and  those  by  the  subsequent  writers,  on 
the  whole,  exerted  a  good  influence  on  public 
morals,  as  we  shall  learn  later  on. 

In  1715,  after  Gidayu's  death,  and  when  the 
Takemoto  Za  was  on  the  verge  of  bankruptcy, 
though  his  pupils  Tanomo  and  some  other  able 
chanters  did  their  best,  the  Kokusenya  Kassen 
by  Monzayemon  appeared.  It  is  reproduced  in 
the  present  volume  as  "The  Battles  of  Kokusen- 
ya." It  met  with  such  an  enthusiastic  reception, 
that  it  was  performed  to  overcrowded  audiences 
for  seventeen  months  in  succession,  and  the  result- 
ant income  saved  the  theatre  from  the  crisis. 
This  piece,  together  with  the  Yuki-onna  Gomai 
Hagoita,  or  "The  Loyalty  of  Five  Heroes,"  and  the 
Soga  Kwaikeizan,  or  "The  Revenge  of  the  Soga 
Brothers,"  all  historical  plays,  are  generally  con- 
sidered to  be  Monzayemon 's  greatest  masterpieces. 
But  it  is  the  present  writer's  humble  opinion  that 
the  Tenno  Amijima,  or  "The  Double  Suicide  at 
Amijima,"  must  be  added  to  the  honoured  num- 
ber. Dr.  Tsubouchi,  an  authority  on  this  subject, 
says :  "The  Tenno  Amijima  is  evidently  the  greatest 
of  Monzayemon 's  masterpieces." 

The  popularity  of  the  Takemoto  Za  gave  rise 


INTRODUCTION  13 

to  a  powerful  rival,  and  their  competition  contrib- 
uted to  the  improvement  of  marionettes  and  the 
development  of  the  epical  drama.  An  ambitious, 
excellent  pupil  of  Gidayu,  named  Toyotak6  Waka- 
tayu,  established  an  independent  marionette 
theatre  called  the  Toyotake"  Za  in  1702,  in  the 
same  quarter  as  the  Takemoto  Za,  with  Ki-no- 
Kaion,  an  able  writer,  as  its  playwright.  After 
Gidayu 's  retirement  three  years  later,  the  new 
theatre  prospered  nearly  as  much  as  the  older 
one  did. 

Kaion  was  born  in  1663,  so  that  he  was  ten 
years  younger  than  Monzayemon.  His  father, 
though  merely  a  confectioner,  was  proficient  in 
writing  haikai  or  seventeen-syllabled  verse,  and 
his  elder  brother  was  a  well-known  kyokashi  or 
comic  poet  called  Yuyensai  Teiryfl.  In  his  youth 
Kaion  was  a  pupil  of  Abbot  Yetsuzan  of  the  Kaki- 
moto  Temple  at  Sakai,  in  the  province  of  Izumi. 
Later  he  became  a  layman;  and  taking  up  his 
residence  in  Osaka,  practised  medicine.  In  his 
leisure  hours  he  studied  Japanese  classics  under 
Keichu,  a  noted  scholar. 

From  1702,  when  his  connection  with  the  Toyo- 
tak6  Za  commenced,  until  his  retirement  in  1723, 


i4  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

he  diligently  wrote  one  drama  after  another.  In 
order  to  compete  with  Monzayemon,  he  often 
flnrote  on  nearly  the  same  topic  as  his  antagonist. 
Thus  while  Monzayemon  wrote  the  Sonezaki 
Shinju,  or  "The  Love  Suicide  at  Sonezaki,"  in  1703, 
Kaion  wrote  the  Yaoya  0-Shichi,  or  "  O-Shichi,.  the 
Greengrocer's  Daughter,"  in  the  following  year. 
The  Aburaya  Osome  Tamoto  no  Shirashibori,  and 
the  Banshu  Sone  no  Matsu  by  Kaion,  answer 
respectively  to  the  Umegawa  Chubei,  and  the 
Yomei  Tenno  Shokunin-Kagami  by  Monzayemon. 
And  it  can  be  greatly  ascribed  to  the  merits  of 
Kaion's  dramas,  that  the  Toyotake  Za  could  hold 
its  own  with  the  Takemoto  Za.  Among  his  forty 
dramas,  the  Yaoya  0-Shichi,  the  Kamakura  San- 
daiki,  and  the  Shinju  Futatsu  Ham-obi,  are  gener- 
ally considered  the  best  pieces.  But  in  the 
present  author's  judgment,  the  Ono  no  Komachi 
Miyako  no  Toshidama,  which  is  represented  in  this 
volume  under  the  title  of  "The  Love  of  Komachi 
the  Poetess,"  is  as  great  a  work  as  any  of  them, 
and  far  more  interesting  to  European  readers. 

Kaion  was  succeeded  by  Nishizawa  Ippu  (1665- 
1731)  who  wrote  twelve  pieces  in  collaboration 
with  Yasuda  Abun,  and  Namiki  Sosuke.  About 


INTRODUCTION  15 

this  time  the  custom  originated  of  two  or  three, 
sometimes  five  or  six  authors  collaborating  in 
writing  the  same  drama.  Ippu's  best  work,  the 
Hojo  Tokiyori  Ki,  though  it  was  an  adaptation 
from  Monzayemon's  the  Hyakunin  Joro,  was  so 
warmly  received  that  it  was  considered  as  good 
as  the  Kokusenya  Kassen. 

Namiki  Sosuke  (1694-1750),  the  greatest  writer 
next  to  Kaion  for  the  Toyotake  Za,  wrote  more 
than  twenty  pieces  in  collaboration  with  three  or 
four  authors.  Among  his  best  works  are  the 
Nasuno  Yoichi  Saikai  no  Suzuri,  the  Karukaya 
Doshin  Tsukushi  no  lyezuto,  and  the  Ichinotani 
Futaba  Gunki,  the  last  of  which  is  reproduced  in 
the  present  volume  as  "The  Battle  of  Ichi-no- 
tani."  Sosuke  wrote  the  first  three  acts  of  this 
long  and  intricate  drama,  and  died  without  com- 
pleting it.  Asada  Itcho,  and  four  other  pupils 
of  his,  wrote  the  sequel,  which  consists  of  two 
long  acts.  The  drama  is  very  popular  as  an  ex- 
cellent illustration  of  bushido,  or  the  moral  prin- 
ciples regulating  the  actions  of  the  Japanese 
knighthood. 

The  playwright  for  the  Takemoto  Za,  who 
succeeded  Monzayemon,  was  Takeda  Izumo  (1691- 


1 6  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

1756).  He  also  became  proprietor  of  the  theatre 
when  Gidayu  retired.  He  wrote  thirty-two  excel- 
lent pieces.  In  1723  appeared  his  maiden  work, 
the  Oto  no  Miya  Asahi  no  Yoroi,  which  he  wrote 
in  collaboration  with  Matsuda  BunkodO.  It  was 
revised  by  his  master  Monzayemon.  Among  his 
best  works  are  the  Yoshitsune  Sembonzakura,  the 
Sugawara  Denju  Tenarai  Kagami,  and  the  Kana- 
dehon  Chushingura,  or  "The  Treasury  of  Faithful 
Retainers, "  which  is  a  version  of  the  famous  story 
of  the  Forty-seven  Ronins.  The  Chushingura1 
is  such  a  favourite  with  the  Japanese  that  any 
theatre,  whose  audiences  are  remarkably  falling 
off,  can  regain  its  popularity  by  performing  one 
or  two  acts  of  this  drama. 

Matsuda  Bunkodo,  who  wrote  the  Oto  no  Miya 
Asahi  no  Yoroi  in  collaboration  with  Izumo,  was 
also  the  author  of  twenty  other  dramas,  the  best 
of  which  are  the  Ki-ichi  Hogen  Sanryaku  no  Maki 
and  the  Danno-ura  Kabuto  Gunki.  But  most  of 
them  were  joint  works  written  with  Miyoshi  ShOra- 
ku  and  Hasegawa  Senshi.  Miyoshi  Shoraku,  who 
was  first  a  priest  and  then  a  physician,  took 

'This  drama  is  translated  into  English  both  by  Mr.  F.  V. 
Dickins  and  by  Mr.  Jakichi  Inouyd. 


INTRODUCTION  17 

lessons  under  Izumo,  and  became  a  dramatist. 
He  wrote  about  fifty  pieces,  as  a  collaborator. 
His  best  work  is  the  Imoseyama  Onna  Teikin. 
Shoraku  and  Bunkodo  were  also  playwriters  for 
the  Takemoto  Za. 

Chikamatsu  Hanji,  who  called  himself  Chika- 
matsu  on  account  of  his  being  a  writer  of  the 
Monzayemon  school,  wrote  fifty-four  pieces  for 
the  Takemoto  Za,  in  collaboration  with  two  or 
three  writers.  His  best  works  are  the  Honcho 
Nijushiko,  the  Sekitori  Senryo  Nobori,  and  the 
Shimpan  Vta  Zaimon,  from  the  last  of  which  the 
present  author  has  adapted  "0-Some  and  Hisa- 
matsu,"  or  a  Japanese  Romeo  and  Juliet.  This 
drama  is  so  popular,  that  it  is  performed  all  the 
year  round  at  some  theatre  or  other. 

Chikamatsu  Tokuzo  (1753-1810),  a  pupil  of 
Chikamatsu  Hanji,  wrote  many  pieces  for  the 
Toyotake  Za.  His  best  works  are  the  Hana  wa 
Uyeno  Homare  no  Ishibumi,  and  the  Hakone  Reigen 
IzariKataki-uchi,  which  is  reproduced  in  the  present 
volume  as  "Katsugoro's  Revenge."  About  1804, 
he  wrote  a  kyaku-hon  entitled  the  Asagao  Nikki,  or 
"Miss  Morning-glory's  Diary,"  the  plot  of  which 
was  suggested  to  him  by  Kumazawa  Banzan's 


18  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

poem  on  the  morning-glory,  and  a  folklore  story 
in  the  Konjaku  Monogatari.  In  1850,  another 
author  adapted  this  kyaku-hon  and  wrote  the 
famous  Sho-utsushi  Asagao  Banashi.  This  is 
represented  in  the  present  volume  as  "The  Suffer- 
ings of  Miss  Deep-Snow."  Strangely  enough, 
the  author  of  this  drama,  which  has  made  myriads 
of  our  countrymen  weep  and  rejoice  over  the 
sorrows  and  joys  of  its  heroine  Miyuki,  is  unknown, 
although  we  have  his  pseudonym  "Yamada 
Kagashi." 

Chikamatsu  Yanagi,  who  flourished  at  the  end 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  wrote  the  Yehon  Taiko 
Ki,  and  five  other  pieces.  The  Taiko  Ki,  which  is 
reproduced  by  the  present  author  under  the  title 
of  "The  Treason  of  Mitsuhide,"  is  another  favour- 
ite drama  with  our  countrymen.  Its  tenth  act, 
which  is  retold  in  Chapter  V  of  the  story  in  this 
volume,  at  nearly  the  same  length  as  in  the  original, 
is  familiar  to  any  adult  person.  This  piece  was 
performed  at  a  small  marionette  theatre  in  Osaka 
in  1799. 

Both  the  Takemoto  Za  and  the  Toyotake  Za 
reached  the  zenith  of  their  prosperity  at  the  middle 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  when  Izumo  and  Sosuke 


INTRODUCTION  19 

wrote  for  them.  Then  they  began  gradually  to 
decline,  and  were  closed  towards  the  end  of  the 
same  century.  Then  the  centre  of  the  marionette 
theatre,  and  of  the  epical  drama,  was  transferred 
to  Yedo,  where  they  flourished  for  a  little  more 
than  half  a  century.  It  must  further  be  noted 
that,  while  the  above-mentioned  theatres  flourished 
in  Osaka,  there  were  one  or  two  small  marionette 
theatres  in  Kyoto,  and  that  the  troupes  of  the 
Osaka  theatres  now  and  then  visited  Kyoto,  and 
the  chief  towns  in  the  vicinity  of  Osaka,  to  give 
their  performances.  It  is  said  that  the  epical 
dramatists,  who  lived  during  this  whole  period, 
numbered  about  two  hundred,  and  their  composi- 
tions reached  the  enormous  total  of  one  thousand. 
But  it  is  only  about  thirty  of  these  writers,  in- 
cluding those  mentioned  above,  whose  works  are 
worthy  of  note,  and  most  of  these  best  authors 
were  connected  with  the  Osaka  theatres. 

As  has  just  been  remarked,  towards  the  end  of 
the  eighteenth  century  the  epical  drama  had 
declined  in  Osaka,  and  begun  to  bloom  forth  in 
Yedo,  where  it  flourished  until  towards  the  middle 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  It  is  true  that  in  the 
era  of  KyohO  (1716-1735)  and  afterwards,  many 


20  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

of  gidayu  chanters  and  puppet  players  of  Osaka 
went  up  to  Yedo,  and  gave  their  performances. 
But  the  epical  dramas  they  used  were  all  compo- 
sitions by  the  Osaka  writers.  About  that  time, 
Toyotak6  Hizen  no  Jo,  a  famous  gidayu  chanter, 
established  a  marionette  theatre  called  Hizen  Za 
in  Yedo;  while  another  great  chanter,  Satsuma 
Geki,  established  a  rival  theatre  called  Geki 
Za  or  Satsuma  Za.  For  several  years  after  their 
establishment,  these  theatres  invited  chanters 
from  Osaka,  and  performed  dramas  by  Osaka 
writers;  but  about  1770,  they  began  to  perform 
pieces  by  Yedo  dramatists. 

Hiraga  Gennai  (1729-1779),  whose  pseudonym 
was  Fuku-uchi  Kigwai,  was  the  greatest  among 
the  Yedo  epical  dramatists.  He  was  the  eldest 
son  of  a  samurai  of  low  rank  of  Shido-ura  in  Sanuki 
Province.  But  the  ambitious  youth  gave  his 
birthright  to  his  brother,  and  went  to  Nagasaki, 
where  he  studied  the  Dutch  language,  botany,  and 
physics.  Later  he  went  to  Yedo,  where  he  studied 
Chinese  and  Japanese  classics.  He  was  gifted 
with  wonderful  talents,  and  made  several  indus- 
trial inventions.  Unluckily,  however,  he  could 
find  no  one  to  patronize  them.  Therefore,  by 


INTRODUCTION  21 

way  of  giving  vent  to  his  discontent,  he  took  to 
writing  humorous  essays  and  epical  dramas.  His 
best  drama  is  the  Shinrei  Yaguchi  no  Watashi. 
The  present  author  names  his  story  adapted  from 
it,  "The  Miracle  at  the  Ferry  of  Yaguchi."  It 
was  performed  at  the  Hizen  Za  in  1770,  and  was 
enthusiastically  received.  Its  fourth  act,  which 
relates  the  adventure  of  Nitta  Yoshimine  at  the 
ferry  of  Yaguchi,  is  nowadays  often  performed. 
In  1779,  Gennai  went  mad  and  killed  a  man,  and 
was  thrown  into  prison  where  he  soon  died  of 
illness. 

The  following  are  the  most  noteworthy  dramas 
by  other  great  writers  of  Yedo:  The  Koimusume 
Mukashi  Hachijo  (1778),  by  Chimakatsu  Kwanshi 
and  Yoshida  Sumimaru;  the  Shigano  Kataki-uchi 
(1776),  by  Kinokami  TarO;  the  Itozakura  Honcho 
Sodachi  (1777),  by  Kinokami  TarO  and  Tatsuda 
Benji;  the  Kagamiyama  Kyii  no  Nishikiye  (1782), 
by  Yo  Yotai;  the  Meiboku  Sendai  Hagi  (1785), 
by  Chikamatsu  Kwanshi,  Takashi  Mohei,  and 
Yoshida  Sumimaru;  the  Gotaiheiki  Shiraishi  Ba- 
nashi  (1787),  by  Utei  Yemma  and  Kinokami  TarO. 

The  Sho-utsushi  Asagao  Banashi  which,  as  has 
been  stated  appeared  in  1850,  and  the  Hanano 


22  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Kumo  Sakura  no  Akebono,  by  Toyoshima  Gyoku- 
waken  and  a  collaborator,  which  appeared  in  1853, 
were  the  last  epical  dramas  ever  written.  These 
two  dramas  were  performed  in  Yedo  for  the  first 
time. 

At  present,  marionette  performances  are  now 
and  then  given  in  Tokyo,  at  Asakusa  Park,  by  two 
skilful  puppet  players  named  Ytiki  Magosaburo 
and  Yoshida  Kunigoro;  but  they  attract  few 
spectators.  There  are  in  Osaka  two  marionette 
theatres  called  respectively  the  Bunraku  Za  and 
the  Chikamatsu  Za.  The  former  was  established 
about  a  hundred  years  ago  by  an  amateur  chanter 
named  Uyemura  Bunraku  Ken.  The  latter  was 
established  in  1911.  These  two  theatres,  where 
some  skilful  chanters  and  puppet  players  are 
giving  their  performances,  are  among  the  great 
attractions  of  the  city. 

The  decline  of  the  marionette  theatre  and  the 
cessation  of  the  composition  of  new  epical  dramas 
are  attributable  chiefly  to  the  fact  that  the 
kabuki  shibai,  or  the  popular  theatre  which  was 
as  old  as  the  marionette  theatre,  had  found  its 
way  by  degrees  into  general  favour  and  at  last 
deprived  the  marionette  theatre  of  its  audiences. 


INTRODUCTION  23 

We  may  therefore  turn  for  a  moment  from  the 
present  subject  and  give  a  short  account  of  the 
kabuki  shibai. 

A  priestess  named  O  Kuni,  of  the  great  shrine 
at  Kizuki  in  the  province  of  Izumo,  is  said  to 
have  originated  the  kabuki  shibai.  O  Kuni  went 
to  Kyoto  with  her  lover  Nagoya  SanzaburO  about 
1605.  They  soon  erected  a  rough  stage  on  the 
dry  bed  of  the  Kamo  River,  on  which  the  ex- 
priestess  with  a  few  other  girls  danced.  They 
sang  simple  songs  composed  by  SanzaburO,  to  the 
accompaniment  of  the  primitive  music  of  flutes, 
bells,  and  drums.  They  were  enthusiastically 
received  by  the  citizens;  and  their  reputation 
rapidly  spreading  far  and  wide,  many  girls  took 
to  the  profession  in  several  provinces.  In  1607, 
O  Kuni  went  to  Yedo  where  her  performances  were 
greatly  admired.  Then  in  Yedo,  Osaka,  and 
Kyoto,  actresses  increased  in  number  and  some 
of  them  attained  great  skill.  Theatre-going  be- 
came fashionable  among  the  townsfolk,  and  as  the 
actresses'  theatre  developed  it  exerted  evil  influ- 
ences on  public  morals.  Therefore,  in  1629, 
actresses'  performances  were  stopped  by  the 
authorities.  Then  actors'  theatres,  which  had 


24  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

recently  been  established,  became  popular  and 
some  of  the  actors  were  obliged  to  play  women's 
roles.  This  unnatural  art  of  the  onna-gata  (oyama) , 
or  "actors  in  women's  roles,"  gradually  developed, 
until  we  hear  of  great  onna-gata  in  different  eras. 
Some  famous  onna-gata  took  great  pains,  even  in 
their  daily  lives,  to  train  themselves  for  women's 
roles.  They  usually  wore  women's  garments 
and  used  women's  instruments  and  articles. 
They  even  spoke  and  behaved  like  women.  The 
law  prohibiting  actresses  was  in  force,  in  most 
parts  of  the  country,  until  the  middle  of  the  nine- 
teenth century.  This  is  the  reason  why  there 
have  been  few  actresses  until  quite  recent  years. 
Since  a  few  years  ago,  many  educated  girls  have 
taken  to  the  profession.  But  these  actresses  are 
generally  considered  to  be  much  inferior  to  the 
onna-gata  of  the  old  school. 

By  the  time  Monzayemon  and  Kaion  were 
flourishing,  kabuki  theatres  throve  in  Osaka,  Yedo, 
and  Kyoto.  But  they  could  not  compete  with 
the  marionette  theatres,  because  both  the  per- 
formers and  the  dramas  were  still  in  nonage.  At 
first,  the  pieces  produced  in  these  theatres  were 
the  compositions  of  the  ignorant  actors,  but  to- 


Mr.  Utayemon  as  Lady  Yayegaki 


INTRODUCTION  25 

wards  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  we 
hear  of  definite  authors  whose  works  were  called 
kyaku-kon.  These  are  in  form  nearly  the  same 
as  the  European  drama.  With  the  exception  of 
two  or  three  writers,  such  as  Namiki  Gohei  (1760- 
1822),  the  author  of  the  Kimmon  Gosan  no  Kiri, 
Tsuruya  Namboku  (1755-1829),  the  author  of 
the  0-Some  Hisamatsu  Ukina  no  Yomi-uri,  and 
the  Yotsuya  Kwaidan,  and  Furukawa  Moku-ami 
(1715-1893),  the  author  of  the  Murai  Choan 
Takumi  no  Yaregasa,  the  kyaku-hon  writers  were 
second  or  third  rate  authors.  Their  works  are 
of  little  literary  value  and  cannot  be  compared 
with  the  epical  dramas  by  Monzayemon  and  other 
writers.  The  reason  is  as  follows.  In  the  kabuki 
theatre,  the  actors  were  everything  and  the  play- 
wrights were  their  slaves,  so  to  speak,  and  had 
to  suit  their  writings  to  the  actors'  demands. 
Therefore  able  authors  of  an  independent  spirit 
would  not  write  for  them.  But  by  the  middle  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  the  kabuki  theatres  had 
made  remarkable  improvements  and  begun  to 
perform  the  most  popular  of  the  epical  dramas. 
Thus  they  soon  became  more  popular  in  Osaka 
than  the  marionette  theatres,  and  in  Yedo,  at  the 


26  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

middle  of  the  nineteenth  century,  they  were  at 
last  able  to  drive  the  marionette  theatres  almost 
out  of  existence. 

The  theatres  proper  of  the  present  day  are  of 
two  classes,  i.  e.,  the  kabuki  theatres  and  the 
theatres  of  the  new  school.  In  the  older  style 
theatres,  the  epical  dramas,  old  kyaku-hon,  and 
kyaku-hon  adapted  from  the  epical  dramas  are 
used.  In  the  modern  theatres  new  kyaku-hon  by 
native  authors,  and  translations  from  European 
dramatists  such  as  Shakespeare,  Ibsen,  Maeter- 
linck, Shaw,  and  Wilde  are  used.  These  new 
kyaku-hon  are  quite  commonplace  and  unpopular, 
while  the  translations  are  very  popular  among  the 
younger  generation.  But  it  is  still  the  perform- 
ances of  the  epical  dramas  in  the  old  school 
theatres  which  appeal  most  strongly  to  the 
imagination  of  the  nation  at  large. 

Another  important  thing  about  the  epical  drama 
is  its  extensive  use  merely  for  chanting  purposes. 
In  yos6  or  variety -halls,  of  which  there  are  in 
Tokyo  at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty,  one  or  two 
gidayu  chanters  are  numbered  among  their  nightly 
performers.  There  are  also  about  ten  halls  devoted 
to  chantresses.  The  institution  of  chan tresses 


Mrs.  Rosho,  the  most  famous  drama  chantress 


Miss  FumiryQ,  a  drama  chantress 


INTRODUCTION  27 

is  as  old  as  that  of  chanters.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  there  was  in  Yedo  a 
great  chantress  named  Rokuji  Namuyemon.  As 
time  went  on  chantresses  increased  in  number  and 
popularity,  until  in  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth 
century  there  were  in  Yedo  a  hundred  halls  exclu- 
sively used  for  their  recitations.  But  in  1842 
their  performances  were  prohibited  by  the  author- 
ities on  account  of  certain  abuses,  and  Toyotak6 
Kazan  and  a  few  other  great  chantresses  were 
thrown  into  prison,  where  they  died.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  chantresses  went  out  of  existence. 
In  fifteen  years  or  so,  however,  the  prohibition 
became  lax,  and  chantresses  again  became  popular. 
Nowadays,  in  Osaka  and  Kyoto,  as  well  as  in 
Tokyo,  musume-gidayu  or  girl  chanters,  as  they 
are  generally  called,  are  far  more  numerous  than 
male  chanters.  It  must  be  remarked  in  passing, 
that  every  geisha  can  chant  one  or  two  acts  of 
some  famous  drama  or  other. 

Besides  professional  chanters,  there  are  numer- 
ous amateur  chanters  throughout  Japan.  Among 
various  circles  of  people,  the  chanting  of  the  epical 
dramas  has  been  popular  from  of  old.  They 
assiduously  take  lessons  in  the  art  from  profes- 


28  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

sional  chanters.  Indeed  in  every  town,  every 
village,  and  every  hamlet,  there  are  found  some 
people  who  make  it  their  chief  pastime  to  chant 
the  dramas.  It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that 
some  passages  of  the  Asagao  Banashi  and  of  the 
Taiko-ki  are  as  familiar  to  any  adult  person  as 
the  national  anthem. 

In  connection  with  the  general  prevalence  of 
the  chanting  of  the  epical  dramas,  there  is  another 
noteworthy  fact  which  must  not  be  lost  sight  of. 
That  is  to  say,  the  paramount  position  they  have 
occupied  in  social  education.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  higher  education  in  feudal  Japan  was 
confined  to  a  portion  of  the  community,  i.  e.,  the 
samurai  and  the  priests.  The  common  education 
carried  on  in  the  terakoya,  primitive  elementary 
schools,  was  far  from  satisfactory.  Yet,  in  spite 
of  such  poor  means  of  education,  the  people  at 
large  were  alive  with  patriotic  sentiments,  and 
fully  understood  the  duties  of  loyalty  and  filial 
piety,  and  the  other  moral  principles  of  bushido. 
All  this  was  due  to  some  special  educational  or- 
gans which  made  up  for  the  imperfections  of 
school  education.  That  is  to  say,  the  theatres, 
story-tellers,  and  gidayu  chanters  were  so  many 


INTRODUCTION  29 

powerful  educators.  It  was  especially  the  case 
with  the  epical  dramas,  particularly  historical 
dramas,  such  as  The  Battle  of  Ichinotani,  The 
Treason  of  Mitsuhide,  and  The  Sendai-Hagi,  in 
which  the  principles  of  bushido  are  preached  most 
eloquently  through  the  mouths  of  the  characters. 
Thus,  some  of  the  epical  dramas  were,  so  to  speak, 
the  text-books  of  bushido,  for  the  common  classes 
of  the  Yedo  Period.  Nobody  can  deny  the  epical 
dramas  and  their  chanters  the  honour  of  having 
been  important  agents  of  social  education. 

Gidayu  chanters,  both  professional  and  amateur, 
when  they  chant  in  public,  wear  kataginu  (a  sort 
of  cape)  and  hakama  (like  a  pair  of  loose  trousers), 
and  sit  in  a  respectful  attitude  before  a  kendai,  or 
bookstand,  on  which  a  book  containing  the  text 
printed  in  large  characters  is  placed.  Then,  with 
their  hands  on  their  laps,  and  with  all  their  energy 
concentrated  on  their  abdomens,  they  chant  forth 
loudly  and  musically  to  the  accompaniment  of  the 
samisen.  The  chanter  himself  often  plays  the 
instrument,  while  he  chants  the  drama.  But 
more  frequently,  other  hands  play  the  instrument. 
A  chanter  combines  in  himself  an  opera  singer 
and  an  elocutionist ;  and  it  may  safely  be  said  that 


30  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

a  unique  form  of  elocution  was  developed  in 
Japan  as  early  as  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  when  Satsuma  Joun  the  chanter  was  at 
the  height  of  his  popularity. 

Thus  the  epical  dramas,  as  pieces  to  be  chanted, 
and  to  be  used  for  theatres,  and  as  literature  to 
be  read,  have  an  everlasting  future  before  them. 


A  scene  from  0-Some  and  Hisamatsu 


Marionette  Performances 


A  scene  from  The  Sendai-Hagi 


A  scene  from  The  Sekitori  Senryo  Nobori 


Marionette  Performances 


A  scene  from  The  Taikd-Ki 


A  scene  from  The  Gotaiheiki  Shiraishibanashi 


Marionette  Performances 


A  scene  from  Yugiri  and  Izayemon 


A  scene  from  The  Kokusenya 


TKe  Love  of  liomacHi  the  Poetess 


From 


The  Ono'no'f£omachi  Miyafco  no 

Toshidama 


By 
Hi-no-  tlaion 


THe  Love  of  RomacKi  tKe  Poetess 


jOMACHI,  the  daughter  of  Ono-no- 
Yoshizane,  the  Lord  of  Dewa,  was 
the  most  beautiful  woman  that 
Japan  has  ever  produced.  She  was 
a  remarkably  talented  poetess,  and  her  name  is 
familiar  to  everybody  in  connection  with  the 
famous  anthology  Hyaku-Nin-Isshyu,  or  "Single 
Verses  by  a  Hundred  Poets." 

In  her  younger  days,  Komachi  was  courted  by 
a  large  number  of  noblemen  and  samurai.  Two 
of  these  suitors  were  consumed  with  a  burning 
passion  for  her.  One  was  Fukakusa-no-Shosho 
Arihira,  a  court  noble,  who  was  a  handsome  and 
accomplished  gentleman.  He  had  written  the 
maiden  many  letters;  but  to  his  great  mortifica- 
tion, she  had  not  replied  so  much  as  a  single  line. 
It  must  be  remarked  en  passant  that  she  had 
never  seen  Arihira,  though  he  had  had  frequent 
opportunities  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  her. 
3  33 


34  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Her  other  passionate  adorer  was  Otomo-no- 
Kuronushi,  who  was  also  a  nobleman,  and  well 
skilled  as  a  poet.  He  was  a  haughty,  overbearing, 
and  unsympathetic  man ;  and  was  so  enamoured  of 
the  young  lady  that  he  was  determined  to  attain 
his  purpose,  even  if  he  had  to  resort  to  violence. 

One  beautiful  spring  day,  Komachi,  accom- 
panied by  two  or  three  of  her  maids,  went  to  Mt. 
Ohara  to  view  the  cherry-blossoms.  When  Ari- 
hira  heard  of  this,  he  made  up  his  mind  to  also 
visit  the  mountain  incognito  with  a  man-servant. 
By  so  doing  he  hoped  to  find  a  chance  of  pleading 
his  cause  in  person. 

Komachi  was  so  charmed  with  the  beautiful 
blossoms,  and  the  sweet  songs  of  the  birds,  that 
her  muse  became  inspired,  and  she  burst  forth 
into  verse.  She  resolved  to  write  her  poem  on  a 
piece  of  paper,  and  tie  it  to  a  branch  of  the  cherry- 
tree,  as  is  often  the  custom  with  Japanese  poets. 
She  ordered  one  of  her  maids  to  give  her  a  pen 
and  paper,  but  there  was  no  ink.  The  young 
poetess  was  filled  with  sorrow,  and  she  quietly 
complained  about  this  omission.  Arihira,  who 
had  been  an  unseen  observer  of  the  scene,  at  this 
moment  walked  up  to  her. 


Mr.  Sonosuk£  as  Lady  Komachi 


THE  LOVE  OF  KOMACHI  35 

"Fair  lady,  pardon  me  for  addressing  you  with- 
out an  introduction,"  said  he,  bowing  politely. 
' '  You  seem  to  be  in  need  of  ink.  I  have  some  here. 
You  are  quite  welcome  to  make  use  of  it." 

Komachi  was  greatly  delighted  at  receiving 
such  a  kind  offer  from  a  handsome  and  distin- 
guished-looking man.  She  accepted  his  ink  with 
many  blushes  and  hearty  thanks.  She  wrote 
her  poem,  and  after  reading  it  over  carefully, 
handed  it  to  one  of  her  maids.  Arihira  asked  to 
be  allowed  the  privilege  of  reading  the  poem  be- 
fore it  was  hung  on  to  a  branch  of  the  cherry-tree. 
She  consented  modestly,  and  he  read  it  several 
times,  praising  it  highly.  Then  he  went  aside, 
and  taking  a  small  slip  of  paper,  wrote  something 
on  it  very  earnestly.  He  then  returned  to  her, 
and  handed  her  what  he  had  written. 

"Here  is  my  poem,  fair  lady,"  he  said,  glancing 
at  her  with  a  significant  but  self-conscious  look. 
"Of  course  there  is  no  comparison  between  my 
poem  and  yours;  but  I  earnestly  hope  that  you 
will  appreciate  the  spirit  in  which  it  was  written." 

She  received  the  paper,  and  unsuspectingly 
looked  over  it,  expecting  to  find  some  beautiful 
poem;  but  she  was  astonished  to  read  an  ardent 


36  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

love-letter,  bearing  the  signature  of  Fukakusa- 
no-ShoshO  Arihira!  Was  he  the  man  who  had 
so  often  written  to  her?  It  was  not  that  she  had 
felt  no  sympathy  for  the  love-sick  suitor.  She 
had  ignored  his  letters  because  it  was  contrary 
to  womanly  modesty  to  become  unduly  intimate 
with  a  man  without  first  receiving  her  father's 
permission.  She  was  glad  to  think  that  Arihira 
was  not  offended  at  her  seeming  cold-heartedness, 
and  had  that  day  followed  her.  She  felt  almost 
inclined  to  unbosom  herself  to  him;  but  she  sud- 
denly remembered  that  she  was  the  daughter  of  a 
daimyo.  If  she  committed  a  rash  or  thoughtless 
act,  the  good  name  of  her  family,  and  the  reputa- 
tion of  her  father  might  be  compromised. 

With  these  thoughts  Komachi  abruptly  excused 
herself,  and  began  to  retire  to  her  resting-place, 
which  was  surrounded  with  curtains.  But  Arihira 
caught  her  by  the  long,  flowing  sleeve  of  her  dress 
and  poured  into  her  ears  eloquent  words  of  love. 

"If  you  refuse,  you  will  send  me  to  my  death," 
he  concluded  with  tears.  "Give  me  your  sym- 
pathy, dear  lady!" 

"Lord  Arihira,"  she  answered  tenderly,  "your 
appreciation  gives-  me  great  pleasure.  But  if  I 


THE  LOVE  OF  KOMACHI  37 

consent  to  your  proposal  without  my  father's 
permission,  I  shall  be  branded  as  a  shameless  girl. 
That  was  my  only  reason  for  not  answering  your 
numerous  kind  letters.  Please  pardon  my  seeming 
indifference." 

"Excuse  me  if  I  interrupt  you,  my  lady,"  broke 
in  Arihira's  servant,  "but  you  need  have  no  fears 
about  that.  I  am  sure  your  father  will  readily 
consent  to  my  lord's  proposal.  Lord  Arihira  is 
descended  from  the  illustrious  Lord  Kamatari, 
and  he  himself  is  a  court  noble  of  high  rank. 
Your  ladyship's  consent  is  the  only  thing  now 
necessary*  Do  not  cause  disappointment  to  my 
lord." 

"Well,"  said  she,  blushing  like  a  beautiful  red 
rose,  "if  my  father  grants  his  permission,  how  can 
I  refuse?  If  he  gives  his  consent,  I  shall  willingly 
be  yours,  Lord  Arihira.  But  my  beloved  mother 
died  during  my  childhood,  and  tomorrow  is  the 
thirteenth  anniversary  of  her  death.  So  I  have 
taken  a  vow  that  I  shall  fast  and  pray  for  her 
soul  for  a  hundred  days,  of  which  the  first  is  to^ 
morrow.  Will  you  kindly  wait  until  I  have  com- 
pleted the  fulfilment  of  my  vow?" 

"Willingly,  my  lady,"  answered  Arihira,  filled 


38  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

with  an  ecstasy  of  joy,  "but  I  cannot  stay  at  home 
in  idleness  for  such  a  long  time  as  a  hundred  days. 
I  will  not  press  you  to  see  me  before  your  vow  has 
been  fulfilled,  but  may  I  not  sometimes  hear  your 
sweet  voice?  Please  allow  me  to  come  in  secret 
to  your  gate  every  night.  Always  remember  to 
keep  your  word,  and  come  to  me  after  the  com- 
pletion of  your  vow,  my  dearest  lady." 
"You  can  depend  upon  me,  Lord  Arihira." 


II 

THE  prime  councillor  of  Komachi's  father,  who 
was  named  Godai  Chikatada,  had  a  sister  named 
U-noha.  She  was  a  blooming  damsel  of  sixteen 
summers,  and  was  noted  for  her  beauty  and  in- 
telligence. One  night  she  received  instructions 
from  her  brother  to  go  and  pay  her  respects  to 
Lady  Komachi.  She  obeyed  his  wishes,  and 
Lady  Komachi  was  very  pleased  at  receiving 
her  call.  They  both  talked  unreservedly  on  vari- 
ous topics. 

"By  the  bye,"  said  U-noha,  "as  I  was  walking 
up  to  your  gate  this  evening,  I  was  startled  to  see 
someone  suspiciously  concealed  in  your  carriage, 
which  was  standing  near  the  entrance.  I  felt 
inclined  to  go  up  and  demand  who  it  was.  But  I 
hesitated  to  do  so,  because  I  thought  that  he 
must  be  the  lover  of  one  of  your  maids,  and  I  did 
not  wish  to  be  so  cruel  as  to  prevent  their  secret 
meeting.  I  therefore  pretended  not  to  see  him 
and  walked  in," — as  she  said  this  she  smiled  mis- 
chievously,— "I  suppose  it  was  one  of  your  maids 

39 


40  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

in  the  midst  of  a  clandestine  but  sweet  love  affair. 
How  I  envy  her!" 

"Hush,  U-noha!"  said  Komachi  blushing. 
"I  see  that  I  must  confess  the  truth  to  you,  but 
I  must  ask  you  to  promise  not  to  tell  your  brother. 
The  man  you  saw  hiding  in  the  carriage  is  Lord 
Arihira." 

She  then  told  all  that  had  passed  between  her- 
self and  her  lover. 

"Lord  Arihira  has  promised  to  come  secretly 
every  night  to  my  gate,  during  my  hundred  days 
of  fasting  and  prayer."  As  she  continued  her 
face  became  wreathed  with  smiles.  "So  the  man 
in  the  carriage  must  have  been  he.  He  is  a 
very  kind  and  trustworthy  man.  The  period  of 
fasting  and  prayer  is  nearly  at  an  end.  The  day 
will  soon  come  when  Lord  Arihira  will  openly 
ask  my  father  for  my  hand  in  marriage.  Be 
thankful,  dear  girl;  when  I  am  Lady  Arihira,  I 
will  find  you  a  handsome  husband." 

"You  must  indeed  be  happy,"  said  U-noha,  her 
brow  suddenly  darkening.  "I  congratulate  you! 
Your  intentions  are  kind,  but  it  is  not  suitable  for 
a  girl  to  choose  for  herself  a  handsome  husband. 
I  must  put  up  with  an  ill-favoured  man.  I  don't 


THE  LOVE  OF  KOMACHI  41 

rightly  know  the  reason,  but  your  happy  story 
has  made  me  feel  dizzy  and  heavy-hearted.  Will 
you  excuse  me  if  I  retire,  my  lady?" 

With  these  words  U-noha  went  into  the  next 
room.  Truth  to  tell,  the  maiden  had  long  cher- 
ished a  secret  passion  for  Arihira,  and  had  written 
him  many  a  letter,  but  he  had  sent  her  no  answer. 
That  was  not  surprising ;  for  Arihira  had  been 
too  absorbed  in  his  love  for  Komachi  to  pay  any 
attention  to  the  courtship  of  a  comparatively 
unknown  girl.  If  Komachi  continued  to  be  his 
sweetheart,  U-noha  might  long  for  him  for  ever 
in  vain.  She  realized  that  the  situation  was  help- 
less, and  she  wept  bitterly  with  despair.  After 
a  while  she  thought  of  a  plan.  She  thought  that 
if  Lord  Arihira  was  still  hiding  in  the  carriage,  she 
would  meet  him,  and  confide  her  feelings  to  him. 
She  would  also  complain,  as  much  as  she  wished,  of 
his  cold-heartedness,  and  afterwards  would  try  to 
abandon  her  hopeless  love.  Having  made  up  her 
mind  thus,  she  was  about  to  leave  the  room,  but 
as  she  reached  the  door,  she  trembled  and  turned 
faint,  being  overcome  with  maidenly  timidity. 

Looking  around  her,  she  saw  on  the  family  altar 
a  bottle  of  sake,  which  had  been  put  there  as  an 


42  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

offering  to  the  deities  of  poetry.  She  remembered 
that  people  had  told  her  that  the  liquor  stimulated 
one's  courage;  and  taking  down  the  bottle,  she 
desperately  drank  two  or  three  cupfuls.  Then 
taking  the  bottle  with  its  remaining  contents  in 
her  hand,  the  love-sick  girl  stole  out  of  the  cham- 
ber to  give  it  to  Arihira,  who  was  in  the  carriage. 

But  the  man  in  the  carriage  was  not  really 
Arihira.  He  was  Otomo-no-Kuronushi,  the  other 
passionate  adorer  of  Komachi,  lying  in  wait  to 
take  Arihira's  life.  When  he  had  found  out 
about  the  intimacy  existing  between  the  couple, 
he  had  been  filled  with  a  burning  anger  and  jeal- 
ousy. After  some  consideration,  he  came  to  the 
desperate  resolution  to  make  away  with  his  rival, 
and  make  Komachi  a  "jewel  in  his  own  hand." 
U-noha  was  utterly  ignorant  of  this;  and  embold- 
ened by  sake,  she  groped  her  way  towards  the 
carriage. 

"Lord  Arihira!  Lord  Arihira!"  she  exclaimed 
in  a  whisper.  ' '  Oh !  He  is  asleep !  Lord  Arihira, 
you  will  take  cold  if  you  sleep  here  in  this  cold 
weather." 

The  would-be  assassin  awoke  from  his  slumber 
and  cried  out  in  terrified  tones : 


"It  is  I,  sir,"  answered  the  girl,  disguising  her  voice 


THE  LOVE  OF  KOMACHI  43 

"Who  are  you?" 

"It  is  I,  sir,"  answered  the  girl,  disguising 
her  voice.  "Lord  Arihira,  don't  you  know  your 
promised  wife?" 

"Are  you  Lady  Komachi?"  asked  Kuronushi, 
in  pleased  surprise. 

"I  am,"  she  answered.  "It  is  very  cold  to- 
night, so  I've  brought  you  some  sake.  Will  you 
drink  it,  my  dear  lord?" 

"Many  thanks.  I  cannot  tell  you  how  glad 
I  am  to  meet  you,  my  dearest,"  returned  the  other 
in  a  feigned  voice. 

U-noha  stepped  into  the  carriage  and  handed 
the  sake  to  the  supposed  Arihira.  Both  were  in 
an  ecstasy  of  joy,  being  under  the  sweet  delusion 
of  having  each  met  their  lovers.  They  kissed 
and  fondled  each  other,  and  the  sake  soon  after 
taking  effect,  they  fell  asleep. 

In  the  meantime  Arihira  had  as  usual  stealthily 
approached  the  gate,  and  hearing  the  sound  of 
whispers  in  the  carriage,  paused  with  bated  breath. 
He  feared  that  the  sound  of  his  footsteps  might 
break  the  spell  of  some  young  lovers'  secret  meet- 
ing. At  that  moment  there  were  sounds  of  foot- 
steps approaching  the  gate.  Fearing  discovery, 


44  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Arihira  softly  climbed  into  a  branch  of  a  great 
pine  tree,  which  was  growing  near  the  wall.  Soon 
one  of  Kuronushi's  retainers  appeared,  and  walked 
up  to  the  carriage. 

"Mylord!  My  lord !"  he  called  softly.  "Have 
you  killed  him  already?" 

"No,  not  yet,"  whispered  Kuronushi,  waking, 
"but  never  mind,  the  next  best  thing  has  hap- 
pened, for  Lady  Komachi  is  in  my  power.  She  is 
now  sound  asleep  in  this  carriage.  It  is  dark,  so 
if  you  will  help  me  to  carry  her  to  my  house,  no 
one  will  see  us." 

"Good,  my  lord!  Let  us  make  haste,"  said 
the  retainer,  stepping  into  the  carriage.  "Lady 
Komachi!  Lady  Komachi!  Please  wake!" 

The  girl  awoke,  and  the  sleep  having  sobered 
her,  she  was  filled  with  regret  at  having  pretended 
to  be- her  young  mistress.  She  was  overcome  with 
shame  at  the  mean  deed  she  had  committed. 

"I  am  ashamed  of  myself,  Lord  Arihira!"  she 
stammered.  "I  am  not  Lady  Komachi.  I  am 
U-noha.  I  have  longed  for  many  a  day  to  gain 
the  love  of  your  lordship.  Pray  forgive  me,  my 
dear  lord!" 

On  hearing  this  confession,  both  Kuronushi  and 


THE  LOVE  OF  KOMACHI  45 

his  retainer  were  struck  dumb  with  astonishment. 

The  disappointed  nobleman  reflected  for  a 
moment,  and  then  thought  of  the  following  terrible 
plan.  He  determined  that  he  would  sacrifice  the 
life  of  the  poor  girl,  and  lay  the  crime  of  murder 
upon  his  rival. 

He  suddenly  drew  his  dirk  from  its  sheath,  and 
stabbed  U-noha  to  the  heart,  and  signalling  to  his 
retainer,  they  both  disappeared  in  an  instant. 
The  girl  fell  to  the  ground,  shrieking  in  her  death 
agony ;  and  Arihira,  greatly  amazed,  jumped  down 
and  ran  to  her  assistance. 

"Help!  Help!"  he  cried.     "Murder!  Murder!" 

Chikatada,  U-noha's  brother,  and  several  of 
his  retainers  were  startled  at  hearing  the  maiden's 
cries,  and  rushed  to  the  scene.  When  he  saw  his 
sister's  dead  body,  he  was  exceedingly  astonished, 
and  wondered  who  could  be  the  murderer.  Fran- 
tic with  grief,  he  looked  around  him,  and  when  he 
saw  Arihira  standing  at  the  wall,  trembling  with 
emotion,  he  naturally  concluded  that  he  must  be 
the  murderer.  Drawing  his  sword,  he  rushed  up  to 
the  nobleman,  roaring: 

''Coward!  You  shall  taste  the  sharpness  of 
my  blade  of  revenge!" 


46  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Arihira  started  back,  pleaded  his  innocence, 
and  gave  an  account  of  what  he  had  observed 
whilst  concealed  in  the  tree.  But  the  samurai 
was  too  excited  to  listen  to  his  explanation.  For- 
tunately at  that  moment  Sadakage,  Arihira's 
chief  retainer,  came  and  profusely  pleaded  for  his 
master. 

"Your  sorrow  is  natural,"  he  said,  "but  I  wish 
to  save  my  master  from  the  infamous  charge  of 
murder.  Please  place  his  life  in  my  hands  for 
three  days.  Within  that  time  I  will  surely  search 
for  the  offender,  and  deliver  him  to  you.  Pray 
grant  my  request,  sir." 

After  Sadakage  had  finished  speaking,  Komachi's 
father  Yoshizane  came,  and  asserted  that  Lord 
Arihira  was  such  a  man  of  refinement  that  he 
could  not  have  killed  a  young  maiden.  He  also 
persuaded  Chikatada  to  comply  with  Sadakage's 
earnest  request.  But  Chikatada  added  that  if 
the  real  offender  did  not  appear  within  the  stipu- 
lated period,  he  would  take  Arihira's  life. 


Ill 

A  SEVERE  drought  had  been  over  the  land  for 
several  weeks.  The  earth  was  parched,  rivers 
were  dried  up,  and  rice  and  all  the  other  crops  were 
ruined.  Everyone,  from  the  Emperor  downward, 
prayed  to  Heaven  and  Earth,  the  gods  of  the  sea 
and  the  river,  for  rain;  but  not  a  single  drop  fell. 
If  the  drought  should  continue  for  a  few  days  more 
famine  and  starvation  would  prevail  throughout 
Japan. 

When  the  Emperor  heard  of  this,  he  ordered  the 
Prime  Minister  to  induce  the  poets  to  offer  verses 
to  the  god  of  rain.  In  those  days  people  believed 
that  a  pre-eminently  excellent  poem  could  move 
Heaven  and  Earth,  the  gods  and  evil  spirits.  If 
a  wonderfully  beautiful  poem  was  offered  to  the 
Ryujin  or  the  Dragon-god,  he  would  be  so  moved 
that  rain  would  fall  immediately.  In  compliance 
with  the  Imperial  Order,  the  Prime  Minister  sum- 
moned many  poets  to  meet  on  the  Hirozawa  Pond, 
in  which  the  Dragon-god  dwelt.  The  Minister 
presided,  and  Ki-no-Tsurayuki,  the  poet  laureate, 

47 


48  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

acted  as  judge  and  reciter.  All  those  who  had 
won  a  certain  amount  of  fame  as  versemakers : 
court  nobles,  high  officials,  samurai,  and  ladies 
attended  the  meeting. 

The  haughty  poet  Kuronushi  was  the  first  to 
offer  his  poem.  The  judge  read  it  aloud  with 
great  respect.  It  was  a  commonplace  composition, 
both  in  words  and  sentiments;  but  Tsurayuki 
made  a  complimentary  remark  about  it.  Kuro- 
nushi looked  around  triumphantly  at  all  the  poets. 
"I  don't  wish  to  sound  conceited,  friends,"  he 
said,  "but  I  am  bound  to  say  that  I  consider  my 
poem  a  perfect  one.  I  am  sure  that  in  virtue 
of  it  rain  will  presently  fall.  Pray  look  at  the 
sky !  It  is  already  darkening !  Clouds  are  gather- 
ing! Have  you  ordered  your  servants  to  bring 
some  protection  against  the  rain,  friends?" 

At  Kuronushi's  impudent  words,  all  present 
looked  at  one  another  with  bitter  smiles.  At  this 
moment  Arihira's  retainer,  Sadakag6,  who  was 
present,  suddenly  walked  up  to  Kuronushi,  and 
all  were  astonished  to  hear  him  say  brusquely : 

"Excuse  me,  sir,  but  are  you  quite  sure  that 
that  poem  is  your  own  composition?  I  fancy  it 
is  an  ancient  one,  isn't  it,  sir?" 


THE  LOVE  OF  KOMACHI  49 

"What  insolence!"  cried  Kuronushi,  flushing 
angrily.  "Apologize  to  me  immediately,  or  you 
will  not  live  another  moment!" 

"Then  are  you  sure,"  asked  Sadakage"  again, 
quite  undaunted,  "it  is  your  own  work,  sir?" 

"Whose  else  can  it  be,  insolent  wretch?"  cried 
Kuronushi,  his  rage  increasing. 

At  this  assurance,  Sadakage  beckoned  to  Chika- 
tada  to  approach  and  said,  "I  have  no  doubt 
whatever,  my  friend,  that  this  Kuronushi  is  the 
murderer  of  your  sister  U-noha." 

Chikatada,  hearing  these  words,  sprang  at 
Kuronushi,  and  cried:  "Enemy  of  my  sister!  I 
can  never  forgive  you  the  wrong  you  have  done 
me!"  and  he  seized  him  without  a  moment's 
hesitation. 

"The  enemy  of  your  sister?"  said  Kuronushi, 
turning  as  pale  as  death.  "Nonsense!  You  are 
mad!" 

The  Prime  Minister  ordered  silence,  and  ad- 
dressed Sadakage  with  great  dignity. 

"Did  I  understand  you  to  say  that  Lord  Kuro- 
nushi has  killed  Chikatada's  sister?  That's 
strange !  Can  you  substantiate  your  accusation  ? " 

"We  deserve  punishment  for  disturbing  this 


50  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

sacred  meeting,  your  Excellency,"  answered  Sada- 
kage,  bowing  to  the  Minister,  "but  I  think  we 
have  indisputable  evidence.  To  tell  the  truth, 
this  crime  was  committed  from  motives  of  jealousy 
in  love.  Lord  Kuronushi  secretly  killed  Chika- 
tada's  sister,  intending  to  lay  his  crime  on  his 
rival  Lord  Arihira,  my  master,  in  order  to  attain 
his  base  wishes.  When  we  examined  the  unfor- 
tunate maiden's  garments,  we  found  among  them 
a  poem  written  on  a  piece  of  beautiful  paper, 
which  was  evidently  prepared  for  today's  meet- 
ing. I  have  it  here,  your  Excellency.  We  con- 
cluded that  the  writer  of  this  poem  must  be  the 
murderer,  and  therefore  expected  to  find  him  at 
this  meeting.  The  poem  by  Lord  Kuronushi 
which  was  read  just  now  was  exactly  the  same  as 
the  one  we  found  in  U-noha's  clothes,  and  I  have 
therefore  judged  him  to  be  the  culprit.  I  hope 
that  your  Excellency  will  agree  with  the  truth  of 
my  judgment." 

The  Minister  compared  the  two  poems,  and  on 
examining  them  both  carefully,  found  that  they 
were  word  for  word  the  same,  not  only  in  con- 
struction, but  also  the  handwriting  was  identical 
in  every  detail.  He  was  greatly  astonished,  and 


THE  LOVE  OF  KOMACHI  51 

said  that  it  was  a  heinous  crime  for  a  nobleman 
of  high  rank  to  murder  an  innocent  maiden,  merely 
in  order  to  lay  the  offence  on  another  man.  He 
also  said  that  he  would  report  the  matter  to  the 
Emperor,  after  which  the  criminal's  punishment 
would  be  decided.  The  scoundrel  was  promptly 
delivered  to  the  police,  who  took  him  away  to 
prison. 

Then  the  Prime  Minister  ordered  the  "poetry 
meeting"  to  be  continued.  Many  poets,  in  rapid 
succession,  offered  their  verses  to  the  Dragon-god, 
but  there  was  no  response. 

All  present  were  downcast  with  regret  and  dis- 
appointment, and  had  almost  given  up  hope  when 
Lady  Komachi  walked  gracefully  forward,  and 
offered  her  poem  with  modest  words.  The  Poet 
Laureate  had  scarcely  finished  reading  it  aloud, 
when  black  clouds  suddenly  covered  the  sky,  and 
rain  poured  in  torrents,  reviving  all  the  withered 
vegetation.  The  Prime  Minister  was  filled  with 
intense  joy.  He  praised  the  poetess  with  enthusi- 
asm, and  declared  that  she  should  receive  a 
munificent  reward  from  the  Emperor.  Then  the 
meeting  was  closed,  and  he  hastened  to  the  Im- 
perial Palace  to  report  the  matter  to  the  Mikado. 


IV 

THE  next  day  Kuronushi  was  deprived  of  his 
rank  and  title,  his  estate  and  property  were  con- 
fiscated, and  his  retainers  banished  from  the  capi- 
tal. But  the  criminal's  proper  punishment  was 
deferred  to  a  later  date,  his  present  punishment 
being  only  a  preliminary  step. 

One  day  Komachi  and  her  father  Yoshizan6 
received  a  summons  to  the  Imperial  Palace,  where 
the  Emperor  conferred  upon  her  the  dignity  of 
court  lady,  and  created  her  Poetess  Laureate  in 
recognition  of  the  wonderful  miracle  she  had 
achieved.  Both  father  and  daughter  were  filled 
with  gratitude.  Soon  after  the  ceremony  was  over 
the  Emperor  summoned  the  Prime  Minister  to 
him,  and  told  him  that  owing  to  his  advanced  age 
he  intended  shortly  to  abdicate  in  favour  of  the 
Crown  Prince  Hanateru.  Komachi,  who  was  gifted 
with  great  intelligence,  and  who  was  a  supremely 
beautiful  woman,  was  selected  to  be  the  Prince's 
bride.  The  wedding  was  to  take  place  in  a  very 
short  time,  and  she  was  to  make  the  Palace  her 

52 


THE  LOVE  OF  KOMACHI  53 

home  until  the  final  arrangements  were  completed. 
When  the  Minister  had  heard  the  Imperial  com- 
mand, he  communicated  it  to  Yoshizan6  and 
Komachi.  The  father  almost  wept  for  gratitude, 
and  telling  his  daughter  to  stay,  left  the  Court, 
in  an  ecstasy  of  joy. 

When  she  was  left  alone,  Komachi  fell  into  a 
reverie.  It  was  the  greatest  honour  to  her  to 
have  been  appointed  Crown  Princess,  but  it  was 
impossible  for  her  to  break  her  vows  with  Lord 
Arihira.  Although  she  had  not  yet  asked  her 
father's  permission  for  the  marriage,  she  already 
considered  herself  his  wife.  Therefore,  although 
she  had  received  a  command  from  the  Emperor, 
she  could  not  desert  Arihira  without  violating 
her  duty  as  a  virtuous  woman.  On  the  other  hand, 
how  could  she  disobey  the  Imperial  command? 
She  was  indeed  in  a  dreadful  dilemma.  Only 
one  thing  remained  for  her  to  do,  and  that  was 
to  take  her  own  life. 

With  this  resolve  Komachi  unsheathed  her 
dirk  with  fast  falling  tears,  and  she  said  to  herself 
with  a  sigh :  "I  wish  I  could  see  my  beloved  Arihira 
and  father  before  I  die."  She  raised  her  hand 
and  was  about  to  plunge  the  dirk  into  her  throat, 


54  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

when  just  at  the  critical  moment,  someone  sud- 
denly seized  her  hands  and  prevented  her  from 
doing  the  fearful  deed.  She  looked  around,  and  to 
her  surprise  and  pleasure,  she  saw  her  lover  Ari- 
hira.  He  had  that  day  been  summoned  to  the 
Court  on  duty,  and  on  hearing  of  Komachi's  ap- 
pointment as  Crown  Princess  had  sought  for  her 
to  talk  with  her.  They  gazed  at  each  other  for  a 
few  moments,  dumb  with  emotion.  Then  Ko- 
machi,  with  many  tears,  told  Arihira  what  had 
happened  to  her,  and  the  reason  why  she  had 
attempted  suicide.  When  he  heard  her  words, 
Arihira  was  overcome  with  admiration  and  grati- 
tude, but  he  said  with  assumed  composure : 

"I  am  indeed  thankful  to  hear  of  your  faith- 
fulness to  me,  my  dearest,  but  I  cannot  bear  to  see 
you  kill  yourself  for  my  sake,  and  you  must  not 
disobey  the  Imperial  command.  The  only  course 
open  to  you  is  tc  give  me  up,  and  try  and  enjoy 
the  pomp  and  luxury  of  the  life  of  a  Crown  Prin- 
cess. Of  course  I  release  you  from  all  your  vows, 
and  am  willing  to  withdraw  my  own.  Farewell, 
my  dear  Komachi." 

As  he  spoke,  Arihira  prepared  to  depart ;  but  Ko- 
machi clung  to  his  sleeve,  and  wept  bitterly,  saying : 


THE  LOVE  OF  KOMACHI  55 

"Your  words  are  unkind,  Lord  Arihira!  I 
cannot,  as  I  live,  give  you  up.  Do  not  say  such 
cruel  things  again!" 

"Your  devotion  touches  me  to  the  heart,  my 
dearest.  I  must  confess  that  my  words  were  only 
to  persuade  you  to  abandon  your  idea  of  killing 
yourself.  I  promise  you  that  I  will  keep  my  vows 
for  ever.  But  our  determination  makes  it  impos- 
sible for  us  to  stay  here  any  longer.  We  must  fly 
to  some  remote  place  without  delay.  Let  us  go 
at  once!" 

"Do  you  really  mean  me  to  go  with  you,  Lord 
Arihira?" 

"Yes.     Make  haste  and  come  now." 

Fortunately  no  one  was  near,  so  the  lovelorn 
couple  stole  unnoticed  from  the  Palace. 


WHEN  Komachi  and  Arihira  had  stolen  out  of 
the  Palace,  they  ran  aimlessly  hand  in  hand  to  the 
suburbs.  Thence,  in  order  to  evade  pursuit, 
they  chose  unfrequented  places.  They  wandered 
along  all  the  night  through.  Sometimes  they  lost 
themselves  in  the  densely  wooded  forest,  at  other 
times  they  stumbled  among  endless  rows  of  tomb- 
stones, until  at  dawn  they  found  themselves 
quite  exhausted  at  Arashiyama.  There  they  saw 
a  cottage  which  was  evidently  the  dwelling  of  a 
Buddhist  priest  living  a  solitary  life  of  devotion. 
They  dragged  their  weary  footsteps  to  the  door, 
in  order  to  ask  for  shelter  and  a  little  rest.  They 
knocked,  and  the  door  was  opened  by  a  young 
priest,  who  as  soon  as  he  saw  them  said  wonder- 
ingly: 

"How  glad  I  am  to  see  you,  my  lord  and  lady! 
May  I  ask  what  has  brought  you  to  such  a 
lonely  place?" 

The  lovers  looked  at  the  priest's  face,  and  were 
surprised  and  pleased  to  recognize  in  him  a  man 

56 


THE  LOVE  OF  KOMACHI  57 

whose  life  they  had  saved  on  the  occasion  of  their 
picnic  to  Mount  Ohara.  It  was  on  that  day  that 
they  had  exchanged  their  love- vows.  They  there- 
fore freely  confided  in  him,  and  told  him  the  whole 
story  of  their  unfortunate  love  affairs,  and  how 
they  had  exchanged  vows  of  eternal  fidelity. 
They  also  told  how  Komachi's  poem  had  caused 
rain  to  fall  at  the  "poetry-meeting,"  in  conse- 
quence of  which  she  had  been  appointed  Crown 
Princess.  They  gave  an  account  of  their  elope- 
ment, and  begged  the  priest  earnestly  to  protect 
and  shelter  them  for  the  time  being.  The  priest 
promptly  and  willingly  consented,  saying : 
;  "Willingly,  my  lord  and  lady.  I  will  do  any- 
thing in  my  power  to  help  you.  You  can  stay 
here  as  long  as  you  choose.  But  I  am  afraid  the 
accommodation  is  very  inconvenient.  However, 
in  such  an  out-of-the-way  place  you  will  be  safe 
from  all  pursuers.  But  you  must  eat,  for  you  are 
sure  to  be  consumed  with  hunger.  I  will  run  to 
the  village  and  get  you  some  food.  Please  rest 
in  the  inner  room  until  I  return." 

With  these  words  the  priest  went  out.  Ko- 
machi  and  Arihira,  feeling  greatly  relieved,  walked 
in,  and  settled  down  to  rest  in  the  inner  room. 


58  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

A  little  while  later  they  were  startled  by  the  sounds 
of  some  men  walking  into  the  cottage.  They 
hesitatingly  peeped  through  the  chinks  of  the 
shoji,  and  were  amazed  to  see  many  men  with 
their  faces  muffled  with  kerchiefs,  and  looking 
like  outlaws. 

"Bring  us  some  cups  of  tea,"  cried  the  ruffians. 

The  young  couple  feared  that  immediate  danger 
might  follow,  if  the  outlaws  should  catch  a  glimpse 
of  their  faces,  and  did  not  dare  to  come  out. 
They  answered  timidly: 

"The  priest  to  whom  this  cottage  belongs  is 
out,  and  so  pray  help  yourselves  to  tea  or  hot 
water,  as  much  as  you  please,  sirs." 

"As  much  as  we  please!"  cried  the  ruffians. 
"What  insolence!  If  you  are  in  charge  of  the 
house,  why  don't  you  come  out  and  greet  us? 
Well,  we  will  boil  the  water  and  make  some  tea 
for  ourselves." 

With  these  words  they  stepped  noisily  up  the 
mats,  and  sliding  open  the  shoji,  looked  at  the 
terrified  pair. 

"Ha!  Ha!  Here  are  the  eloping  couple, 
Komachi  and  Arihira,"  they  cried  triumphantly. 
"We  are  delighted  to  see  you.  We  are  the  retain- 


THE  LOVE  OF  KOMACHI  59 

ers  of  Lord  Kuronushi.  It  was  owing  to  your 
interference  that  our  lord  was  deprived  of  his 
rank  and  title,  and  thrown  into  prison.  We  dis- 
guised ourselves  as  outlaws  and  have  searched  for 
you  in  order  to  catch  you.  You  have  eloped  in 
violation  of  the  Imperial  command,  and  if  we 
capture  you  and  take  you  back  we  shall  obtain 
our  lord's  pardon.  Fortune  has  favoured  us, 
and  delivered  you  into  our  hands." 

As  they  spoke,  they  bound  Komachi  and  Ari- 
hira  hand  and  foot,  and  were  just  about  to  depart 
for  the  capital  with  them,  when  the  priest  re- 
turned. The  priest,  who  had  formerly  been  a 
samurai,  and  was  very  proficient  in  military  arts, 
and  possessed  Herculean  strength,  was  not  in  the 
least  alarmed  at  this  state  of  affairs.  He  rushed 
up  to  the  butsudan  or  family  Buddhist  shrine, 
and  taking  from  it  a  great  sword,  cut  and  hewed 
at  the  ruffians.  They  were  terrified  at  the  re- 
markable strength  of  his  strokes  and  immediately 
fled  in  all  directions. 

The  priest  cut  the  frightened  captives  free  from 
their  bonds  and  said: 

"  As  your  whereabouts  have  been  discovered,  it 
is  dangerous  for  you  to  stay  here  longer.  You 


60  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

must  fly  for  your  lives  at  once.  If  you  go  along 
the  north  side  of  the  valley  you  will  reach  Saga. 
I  will  stay  here  for  some  time,  and  delay  any 
enemies  who  may  be  pursuing  you,  and  afterwards 
I  will  overtake  you;  but  you  must  hasten  imme- 
diately." 

Urged  by  the  priest,  the  young  lovers  fled  along 
the  road  he  had  suggested. 

After  they  had  gone,  the  priest  fought  bravely 
against  the  rallying  foes  and  succeeded  in  repuls- 
ing them.  He  then  began  to  make  preparations 
to  start  after  his  new  friends,  when  Komachi's 
retainer  Chikatada  and  Arihira's  retainer  Sada- 
kage  came  to  the  convent  accompanied  by  their 
master  and  mistress.  They  had  met  them  in  the 
mountain  some  distance  off,  and  having  heard  of 
the  priest's  kindness  to  them  had  come  back  to 
thank  him  and  consult  with  him  as  to  what  they 
had  better  do  next.  After  a  consultation,  they 
decided  to  visit  a  certain  temple  which  was  situ- 
ated in  Mount  Atago,  -and  beg  the  abbot  to  shelter 
Komachi  and  Arihira. 

With  this  intention  the  party  left  for  the  temple. 


VI 

SOON  afterwards  the  Emperor  abdicated,  and 
Prince  Hanateru  ascended  the  throne.  Amnesty 
was  proclaimed  to  commemorate  the  occurrence, 
and  consequently  the  capital  sentence  which  had 
been  pronounced  upon  Kuronushi  was  remitted, 
and  he  was  not  only  pardoned,  but  his  former  rank 
and  title  were  restored  to  him.  But  this  grace 
was  not  extended  to  Lord  Arihira  and  Lady 
Komachi,  who  were  considered  violators  of  the 
Imperial  command.  No  one  ventured  to  entreat 
for  their  pardon.  Thus  the  young  lovers  were 
like  plants  growing  in  the  shade  without  any 
chance  of  blooming  forth  in  the  sun.  They  con- 
tinued to  live  a  dreary  and  secluded  life  in  Mount 
Atago. 

There  was  a  rumour  at  that  time  that  a  goblin 
frequently  appeared  in  the  Imperial  Palace. 
Sometimes  it  summoned  up  tremendous  peals  of 
thunder  and  sometimes  it  appeared  in  the  form 
of  a  woman  with  hideous  features.  When  it 
appeared,  the  nobles  and  ministers  of  state  were 

61 


62  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

frightened,  and  the  Emperor  was  filled  with 
terror.  The  Emperor  therefore  sent  for  two 
famous  priests  of  Mount  Hiyei  and  ordered  them 
to  pray,  so  that  the  goblin  might  be  subdued.  So 
that  same  day  they  began  to  offer  up  earnest 
prayers.  The  goblin  immediately  appeared  be- 
fore them  in  the  shape  of  a  woman,  and  said 
angrily : 

"Alas!  ye  foolish  priests;  no  matter  how  fer- 
vently ye  may  pray,  my  hatred  will  never  be 
pacified."  With  these  words,  the  phantom 
vanished,  and  suddenly  lurid  lightning  flashed, 
and  deafening  peals  of  thunder  rolled  around. 

The  priests,  however,  were  undaunted,  and 
continued  their  earnest  prayers,  holding  their 
rosaries  in  their  hands.  The  ghostly  woman 
appeared  again,  and  they  asked  her  reproachfully : 

"Woman,  whose  spirit  are  you,  and  what  is 
the  cause  of  your  hatred?  Why  can  you  not  re- 
sort to  some  other  method  of  showing  your  resent- 
ment? How  do  you  dare  to  cause  annoyance  to 
his  Imperial  Majesty?" 

The  spectre  sobbed  bitterly  and  said,  "I  am 
the  spirit  of  U-noha,  who  was  cruelly  murdered 
by  Kuronushi.  He  is  not  only  a  heinous  scoundrel, 


THE  LOVE  OF  KOMACHI  63 

but  has  committed  the  foul  crime  of  murder,  and 
yet  he  has  not  only  been  pardoned,  but  has  been 
restored  to  his  former  rank  and  position.  But 
why  was  the  Imperial  favour  not  extended  to 
Lord  Arihira  and  Lady  Komachi?  They  have 
committed  no  offence  whatever.  It  is  terribly 
unjust.  Therefore  I  carry  a  grudge  in  my  heart 
against  the  Imperial  Court,  and  have  endeavoured 
to  terrify  them  by  causing  spectres  frequently 
to  appear." 

"Komachi  and  Arihira  have  committed  no 
offence?"  retorted  the  priests.  "They  have  com- 
mitted the  great  crime  of  disobeying  the  ex- 
Emperor's  command  and  eloping  together!" 

"No,  you  are  mistaken,"  exclaimed  the  spectre. 
"Both  Lady  Komachi  and  Lord  Arihira  had 
exchanged  vows  of  eternal  fidelity,  long  before  the 
ex-Emperor  appointed  her  Crown  Princess.  They 
were  only  waiting  for  their  wedding.  So,  although 
they  had  commands  from  the  Emperor,  they 
could  not  break  their  vows  without  violating 
their  duties  as  a  faithful  man,  and  a  virtuous 
woman.  Their  step  was  quite  unavoidable,  and 
therefore  was  not  a  crime.  Their  only  course 
was  to  steal  out  of  the  palace,  and  run  away. 


64  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

If  any  one  is  to  blame,  it  is  the  ex-Emperor.  He 
forcibly  appointed  a  betrothed  woman  to  be  the 
Crown  Prince's  consort." 

The  priests  had  no  reply  to  offer  to  this  indis- 
putable argument.  They  admitted  its  justice, 
and  promised  the  ghost  to  inform  the  Emperor 
of  all  that  had  passed.  This  entirely  satisfied  the 
ghost,  and  it  vanished. 

The  priests  at  once  went  to  the  Imperial  pres- 
ence, and  told  the  Emperor  of  what  they  had 
heard.  The  Emperor  was  immediately  convinced 
of  his  error. 

"Then,"  said  he,  "Komachi  and  Arihira  have 
not  committed  the  crime  of  adultery.  I  will 
order  them  to  be  immediately  recalled  to  the 
capital,  and  will  publicly  make  them  man  and 
wife,  and  restore  them  to  their  former  positions. 
I  also  decree  that  the  spirit  of  U-noha  shall  be 
deified  in  the  Kamo  Shrine." 

The  Emperor's  commands  were  carried  out, 
and  the  ghost  ceased  to  haunt  the  court. 


THe  Treason  of  MitsuHide 

From 

The  Yehon  Taifco^i 

By 

CHiKamatsxi  Yanagi 


65 


THe  Treason  of  MitsxiHide 


1OWARD  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury there  lived  a  brave  warrior 
named  Akechi  Mitsuhide.  He  was 
in  the  service  of  Oda  Nobunaga, 
under  whose  command  he  distinguished  himself 
in  several  battles.  In  appreciation  of  his  ex- 
ploits, General  Nobunaga  conferred  on  him  exten- 
sive fiefs  in  the  provinces  of  Tamba  and  Qmi,  and 
created  him  one  of  the  chief  daimios.  He  was  so 
grateful  for  his  promotion,  that  he  served  his 
prince  with  even  greater  loyalty  than  before. 

Nobunaga  had  been  born  a  lesser  daimio  in  the 
province  of  Owari,  during  the  Dark  Age  of  Japan- 
ese history.  He  had  subjugated  almost  all  the 
powerful  chieftains  in  the  different  provinces 
who  were  contending  against  one  another,  and 
restored  peace  and  order  throughout  the  greater 
part  of  the  Empire.  The  Emperor  thereupon  ap- 
pointed him  Minister  of  the  Right,  in  recognition 

67 


68  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

of  his  achievement.  He  never  assumed  the  title 
of  Shogun,  but  he  practically  ruled  Japan  in  the 
name  of  the  Emperor. 

Notwithstanding  his  valour  and  sagacity,  Nobu- 
naga  was  hot -tempered,  arrogant,  and  capricious, 
and  often  resorted  to  violence  and  despotism. 
MitsuhidS  deeply  deplored  this,  and  frequently 
remonstrated  with  his  prince.  But,  as  the  prov- 
erb says,  "Faithful  advice  sounds  harsh  to  the 
ear,"  Nobunaga  was  offended  at  his  loyal  retainer's 
suggestions,  and  began  to  keep  him  at  a  distance. 
Another  reason  made  the  estrangement  of  lord 
and  retainer  even  more  pronounced.  There  was 
a  handsome  youth  named  Mori  Rammaru,  a 
favourite  page  of  Nobunaga.  He  happened  to 
harbour  ill  feelings  towards  Mitsuhide'  in  conse- 
quence of  a  dispute  about  their  fiefs.  This  young 
man  therefore  lost  no  opportunity  of  slandering 
Mitsuhide  to  Nobunaga,  who  gradually  came  to 
look  upon  Mitsuhide  with  greater  and  greater 
hatred,  until  at  last  he  thought  of  dismissing  his 
loyal  retainer.  But  Mitsuhide  served  his  master 
with  such  unswerving  loyalty,  and  obeyed  any 
of  his  commands,  however  unreasonable,  without 
showing  any  signs  of  discontent,  that  Nobunaga 


THE  TREASON  OF  MIT  SUM  IDE         69 

was  at  a  loss  to  find  any  ground  for  discharging 
him. 

It  happened  that  Nobunaga's  eldest  son,  Nobu- 
tada,  was  promoted  in  his  official  rank.  There- 
fore an  Imperial  messenger  bearing  the  writ  of 
appointment  was  sent  to  Nobunaga's  castle  at 
Azuchi  on  Lake  Biwa.  Nobunaga  commanded 
Mitsuhide1  and  Rammaru  to  receive  and  feast 
the  envoy.  Mitsuhide,  who  was  well-versed  in 
etiquette,  took  the  whole  responsibility  of  the 
affair  upon  his  shoulders,  and  was  assiduously 
engaged  in  making  the  necessary  arrangements. 
Rammaru  was  displeased  with  this,  and  watched 
for  an  opportunity  to  pick  a  quarrel  with  him. 
The  time  drew  near  for  the  honourable  guest's 
entertainment,  and  Mitsuhide  and  his  son,  Jujiro, 
were  busy  giving  orders  for  the  banquet.  The 
former  was  quite  unsuspicious  of  what  was  pass- 
ing in  Rammaru's  mind.  Suddenly  Rammaru 
walked  up  to  him,  and  asked  angrily:  "I  think  it 
is  very  strange  that  you  are  making  all  the  arrange- 
ments without  consulting  me.  Why  do  you  never 
ask  my  opinion?  If  you  don't  give  me  a  satis- 
factory explanation,  I  shall  take  steps  against 
you." 


70  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

"Oh,  don't  take  it  amiss,  Rammaru,"  replied 
Mitsuhide,  looking  up  with  surprise.  "How  can 
I  take  much  notice  of  you?  The  time  for  the 
banquet  is  drawing  near,  and  I  am  busy  attending 
to  my  duties." 

;  "Silence!  We  were  both  appointed  to  the 
office  of  feasting  the  Imperial  envoy.  You  be- 
have as  if  you  were  the  sole  officer.  I  consider 
that  is  a  personal  insult.  I  suppose  you  think 
me  a  useless  nuisance!  You  are  an  arrogant  old 
wretch!" 

Rammaru  was  not  satisfied  with  this,  so  he 
heaped  gross  abuse  on  Mitsuhide.  At  last  the 
latter  lost  his  patience  and  flew  into  a  passion. 

"You  are  an  insolent  youngster,"  he  roared, 
clapping  his  hand  on  the  hilt  of  his  sword.  "  Speak 
another  word,  and  it  shall  be  your  last!" 

Rammaru  was  not  daunted  at  this,  and  he 
crossed  to  Mitsuhide,  saying:  "Kill  me  if  you 
can!"  and  they  were  on  the  point  of  cutting  at 
each  other,  when  the  fusuma,  or  sliding  paper 
partition,  was  suddenly  slid  open  and  Nobunaga 
appeared  on  the  scene. 

He  rushed  at  Mitsuhide,  and,  seizing  him  by  the 
collar  of  his  kimono,  held  him  on  to  the  floor, 


THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE         71 

crying:  "You  are  insolent  to  protest  against 
Rammaru's  words.  His  authority  is  as  great  as 
my  own.  Wretch!  Beat  him  on  the  face,  Ram- 
maru!  Be  quick!  Quick!" 

On  hearing  this  peremptory  order,  Rammaru 
uplifted  an  iron  fan  which  he  chanced  to  carry  in 
his  hand. 

"This  is  my  lord's  command,"  he  cried,  beating 
Mitsuhide  on  the  forehead  with  it.  His  blows 
were  so  violent  that  the  other's  head  was  bruised, 
and  his  eyes  were  blinded  with  the  flowing  blood. 
But  Mitsuhide  bore  the  pain  with  great  fortitude, 
compressing  his  lips  and  drawing  in  his  cheeks. 
Nobunaga  looked  into  his  face  with  a  sarcastic 
smile. 

"How  do  you  like  it,  Mitsuhide?  Don't  Ram- 
maru's blows  fill  you  with  resentment?  He  is 
chastising  you  in  my  stead,  and  at  my  commands." 

"I  feel  no  such  resentment,  my  lord,"  replied 
Mitsuhide  calmly.  "My  life  is  devoted  to  the 
service  of  your  lordship.  If  my  bones  are  crushed, 
or  my  flesh  mangled  by  your  wishes,  I  shall  never 
utter  complaints  against  you.  My  obligations 
to  you  are  too  great.  But  my  sorrow  is  unbounded 
when  I  hear  people  call  you  a  cruel,  unfeeling 


72  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

general.  I  feel  that  it  is  my  duty  to  tell  you  this 
frankly!" — he  burst  into  tears — "It  is  my  earnest 
hope  and  prayer,  that  your  lordship  should  change 
your  ways,  and  be  generally  esteemed  as  a  benev- 
olent ruler.  If  you  do  so,  you  should  leave  a 
lasting  fame  to  posterity.  Oh,  do  not  ignore  my 
words,  my  dear  lord." 

This  speech  only  enraged  Nobunaga  the  more. 

"Stop ! "  he  roared.  "  Your  insolence  is  intoler- 
able. Henceforth  you  will  be  refused  audience. 
Leave  me  at  once!  Come,  Rammaru,  turn 
Mitsuhide  and  his  son  out  of  the  gate!" 

"If  you  hesitate  to  go  any  longer,"  cried  Ram- 
maru, threateningly,  "I  will  kick  you  out!" 

Mitsuhide  made  no  reply.  He  pressed  his 
hand  to  his  wounded  forehead  and  departed  rue- 
fully with  his  son,  who  was  weeping  bitterly. 


II 


MITSUHIDE  returned  home  sadly  with  his  son. 
His  wife,  Misao,  and  his  chief  retainer  Shioden 
met  them  at  the  porch.  Misao  was  astonished 
to  see  the  bruises  on  her  husband's  forehead. 

"You  look  pale  and  dispirited,  my  dear,"  said 
she, ' '  and  how  did  you  get  that  ugly  wound  on  your 
forehead?" 

Mitsuhide  did  not  reply,  being  wrapped  in 
thought.  Jujiro,  whose  mind  was  also  deeply 
preoccupied,  raised  his  drooping  head  and  gave 
an  account  of  what  had  happened.  How  Mitsu- 
hide had  been  insulted  by  Rammaru,  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  Imperial  messenger's  entertainment; 
how  Nobunaga  had  ordered  Rammaru  to  beat 
him  on  the  forehead,  and  how  both  father  and 
son  had  been  driven  out  of  the  castle. 

Misao  was  overcome  with  grief  at  hearing  this, 
and  her  thoughts  instantly  passed  on  to  the  future 
of  her  husband.  But  the  fiery  Shioden  could  not 
remain  passive.  He  said  nothing,  but  flushed 

73 


74  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

with  anger  rushed  silently  out  of  the  house. 
Misao  bade  him  stop. 

"Where  are  you  going?"  she  asked.  "What 
are  you  going  to  do,  Shioden?" 

"An"  ancient  sage  says,  'When  one's  master 
is  insulted,  one  fights  to  the  death. '  I  will  break 
into  the  castle,  even  if  I  lose  my  life,  and  take  the 
head  of  Rammaru,  who  has  insulted  my  lord.  Do 
not  stop  me!" 

With  these  words  Shioden  again  prepared  to 
run  out.  Misao  caught  him  by  the  sleeve. 

"Your  anger  is  right,"  she  said.  "But  if  you 
act  rashly,  you  may  bring  trouble  on  your  lord 
and  disgrace  on  our  house.  Think  again,  before 
you  act  hastily." 

Shioden  refused  to  listen,  and  shaking  her  off 
began  to  start. 

"Stay!"  said  Mitsuhide  reproachfully.  "You 
take  too  much  upon  yourself.  I  gave  you  no 
instructions  to  make  such  an  uproar." 

"Why  do  you  stop  me,  my  lord?"  said  Shioden 
excitedly.  "Even  if  you  had  committed  some 
fault,  it  would  be  an  unpardonable  wrong  for  you, 
a  daimio,  governing  the  two  provinces  of  Tamba 
and  Omi,  to  be  beaten.  My  hatred  of  Rammaru 


THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE         75 

knows  no  bounds !  How  can  I  help  trying  to  take 
vengeance  on  him?  I  am  determined  either  to 
kill  Rammaru  or  myself.  Don't  stop  me,  my 
lord!" 

Mitsuhide  looked  him  full  in  the  face. 

"You  are  mistaken,  Shioden,"  he  said.  "Ram- 
maru beat  me  at  my  lord's  order,  so  the  blame  is 
not  his.  As  you  know  well,  Lord  Nobunaga  is 
short-tempered  and  capricious.  It  is  his  custom 
either  to  shower  favours  on  his  retainers,  or  beat 
them,  as  his  caprice  chooses.  Remember  that  a 
retainer  has  no  reason  to  resent  any  command  of 
his  lord,  even  if  he  demand  his  life.  Let  that 
thought  calm  you,  Shioden." 

The  hot-tempered  warrior  had  no  reply  to  make 
to  these  words.  He  set  his  teeth  and  clenched  his 
fists  and  remained  silent.  Suddenly  a  messenger 
from  Lord  Nobunaga  arrived.  Mitsuhide  and 
Shioden  met  him  reverentially  at  the  entrance 
and  begged  him  to  be  seated. 

"Hashiba  Hideyoshi,"  he  said,  "proceeded 
some  time  ago  to  the  Central  Provinces,  and  has 
been  engaged  in  the  subjugation  of  the  Mori 
family.  Therefore  his  Excellency  Lord  Nobunaga 
commands  that  you,  Mitsuhide,  shall  hasten 


76  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

thither  to  help  Hideyoshi  and  fight  under  him  to 
the  best  of  your  ability.  If  your  achievement 
should  prove  noteworthy,  on  you  shall  be  conferred 
the  provinces  of  Izumo  and  Iwami.  In  the  mean- 
time, you  shall  be  deprived  of  your  fiefs  of  Tamba 
and  Omi.  This  is  the  command  of  his  Excellency 
Lord  Nobunaga." 

There  was  a  dead  silence.  Mitsuhide  and  Shi- 
oden  looked  at  each  other  in  amazement.  Then 
Mitsuhide  answered  that  he  respectfully  accepted 
the  command,  and  the  messenger  departed 

Mitsuhide  folded  his  arms  and  stood  for  a  few 
moments  buried  in  reverie.  Shioden  was  filled 
with  an  inexpressible  anger. 

"What  do  you  think  of  this  command,  my  lord?" 
he  asked,  his  hair  bristling  with  wrath.  "It  is 
obvious  that  the  merciless  Nobunaga  intends  to 
destroy  you.  It  is  not  the  time  to  think  of  loyalty. 
Your  lordship  must  raise  the  banner  of  chastise- 
ment against  the  cruel  tyrant,  and  conquer  Japan, 
and  leave  an  undying  fame  to  future  generations. 
Such  is  my  earnest  wish." 

Misao,  on  hearing  these  words,  approached 
Mitsuhide  and  remonstrated  with  tears : 

"Oh,  do  not  listen  to  such  treasonable  words! 


THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE         77 

The  faithful  Shioden's  suggestion  seems  at  first  to 
be  reasonable.  But  the  mere  mention  of  the  idea 
of  killing  Lord  Nobunaga  and  usurping  the  Em- 
pire, horrifies  and  disgusts  me!  My  dear  hus- 
band, I  implore  you,  do  not  bring  disgrace  upon 
our  aged  mother  and  beloved  children!  Do  not 
entertain  such  a  horrible  design.  Take  some  other 
safe  and  wise  course,  such  as  will  secure  the  good 
reputation  of  our  house.  Never,  never  come  to 
any  such  evil  resolution!" 

Mitsuhide  remained  silent.  Soon  afterwards, 
however,  he  recited  the  following  versicle  in  loud 
tones,  with  an  expression  of  firm  determination 
on  his  face. 

"Blind  calumny  may  raise  a  cry 

Of  witless  traitor — What  care  I  ? 
I  little  reck  of  slander's  breath 

When  my  own  will  foredooms  my  death." 

It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  by  this  time  Mitsu- 
hide had  resolved  to  hoist  the  banner  of  treason. 
His  wife  understood  the  full  significance  of  his 
poem,  and  when  she  heard  it  she  burst  into  bitter 
tears  and  was  stupefied  with  grief.  Shioden,  on 
the  other  hand,  danced  for  joy  and  cried  out: 
"Long  live  the  Ak6chi  family!" 


Ill 

NOBUNAGA  and  his  son  Nobutada  went  to  Kyoto 
to  pay  homage  to  the  Emperor.  Nobutada  stayed 
at  the  Nijo  Castle,  and  Nobunaga  put  up  at 
the  Honnoji  Temple,  where  he  spent  some  days 
in  enjoyment  with  his  beautiful  concubine  Ano- 
no-Tsubone,  his  favourite  Rammaru,  and  the 
latter 's  younger  brother  Rikimaru. 

One  night  Ano-no-Tsubone  brought  Nobutada's 
son  Samboshi  from  the  Nijo  Castle,  and  taking  the 
baby  in  her  arms,  bore  it  into  Nobunaga's  presence. 
Nobunaga  was  exceedingly  delighted  to  see  his 
innocent  grandson.  A  feast  was  immediately 
given  in  honour  of  the  child's  visit,  and  Nobunaga 
ordered  the  lady  to  perform  a  dance.  She  saluted 
her  lord,  and  taking  a  fan  in  her  hand,  she  rose 
to  her  feet,  and  danced  gracefully  to  the  accom- 
paniment of  her  own  voice.  Her  gay  coloured 
flowing  sleeves  fluttered  in  the  air,  and  she  looked 
like  a  butterfly  on  the  wing.  Nobunaga  was 
much  delighted,  and  praised  her  skill  in  glowing 
terms.  At  the  conclusion  of  her  dance,  he  ordered 

78 


THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE         79 

Rammaru  to  serve  her  with  sake.  Then  Nobu- 
naga  offered  Rammaru  a  cup,  saying  that  his 
favourite  might  ask  him  for  any  dish  he  chose. 

"Many  thanks,  my  lord,"  said  Rammaru,  with 
a  serious  look.  "I  do  not  wish  for  any  delicate 
dish,  but  may  I  be  so  bold  as  to  ask  for  an  army 
of  four  or  five  thousand  men?" 

"An  army?"  asked  Nobunaga  surprised.  "For 
what  purpose  do  you  require  an  army,  Rammaru?  " 

"I  intend  to  march  on  Mitsuhid6's  castle  at 
Kameyama  in  Tamba,  and  overthrow  him  in  a 
single  battle.  He  is  a  curse  to  your  lordship,  and 
I  wish  to  rid  you  of  him!" 

"That  is  indeed  well  said,"  said  Nobunaga 
smiling.  "But  that  is  a  needless  fear.  It  would 
be  impossible  for  such  a  man  as  Mitsuhide  to 
'strike  his  lance'  against  me,  who  am  a  hero, 
governing  Japan.  Set  your  mind  at  ease  and  fill 
another  cup.  'Sake  is  the  best  broom  to  sweep 
away  sorrow. '  I  will  join  you." 

So  saying,  Nobunaga  drained  two  or  three 
cupfuls  in  rapid  succession.  Ano-no-Tsubone 
warned  him,  saying:  "  'Remissness  is  a  great 
enemy,'  my  lord.  You  would  do  well  to  ponder 
over  what  Sir  Rammaru  said  just  now." 


8o  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

By  this  time  Nobunaga  was  quite  intoxicated. 

"You  too!"  he  said,  "you  are  also  filled  with 
such  useless  fears!  It  is  very  annoying!  I  fear 
my  Samboshi  is  sleepy. — I  have  drunk  enough. 
Let  us  now  forget  our  joys  and  sorrows  in  sweet 
sleep." 

As  he  spoke,  he  rose  to  his  feet,  and  retired  to 
the  inner  chamber,  and  Ano-no-Tsubone,  with 
the  baby  prince  in  her  arms,  followed  him. 

Then  Rammaru  and  all  the  others  retired  to 
their  respective  rooms,  and  were  soon  drowned  in 
sleep. 

The  night  was  far  advanced,  and  "even  the 
grasses  and  trees  were  wrapt  in  sleep."  The 
effects  of  liquor  had  passed  away  from  Nobunaga's 
brain,  and  he  could  not  longer  sleep.  He  got  up 
and  slid  open  the  shqji.  Suddenly  he  was  startled 
to  hear  a  confused  noise  of  the  crows  in  their 
roosts  in  the  garden  trees.  They  were  flapping 
and  crying  in  alarm  through  the  dark  night.  He 
bent  his  head  in  wonder,  and  the  sound  of  bells 
and  drums  smote  on  his  ear  from  far  away.  The 
sounds  seemed  to  draw  nearer  and  nearer.  He 
called  to  the  men  on  night  duty. 


THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE         81 

"Say!  There's  danger!  Climb  to  the  look- 
out!" 

Hearing  the  alarm,  Ano-no-Tsubone  rushed 
out  with  a  halberd  in  her  hand.  "Rammaru! 
Rammaru!"  she  cried.  "Here  is  a  great  danger 
to  our  lord!  Look  out  at  once!" 

She  ran  to  the  entrance  of  the  temple.  Ram- 
maru heard  her  cry  and,  starting  up,  rushed  up 
the  balcony.  He  cast  his  eye  round  in  every 
direction.  The  night  was  black,  but  from  his 
observations  in  the  darkness  he  made  sure  that 
Mitsuhide's  troops  were  advancing.  He  ran 
down  and  reported  it  to  Nobunaga.  "What! 
Treason  on  the  part  of  Mitsuhide?  "  exclaimed 
Nobunaga  in  astonishment.  "Your  warning  was 
wonderfully  prophetic.  I  deeply  regret  that  I  did 
not  listen  to  it.  But  regrets  are  useless.  Our  only 
course  is  to  defend  ourselves  as  well  as  possible." 

"Yes,  that's  most  important,  my  lord,"  an- 
swered Rammaru.  Unfortunately  Nobunaga's 
retinue  numbered  scarcely  more  than  three  hun- 
dred. It  was  quite  impossible  for  his  tiny  band 
to  make  any  headway  against  a  large  army. 
When  the  lord  and  retainer  thought  of  this  they 
gnashed  their  teeth  in  mortification. 


82  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

At  this  moment  Rikimaru  rushed  back  from  a 
reconnaissance 

"It  appears,"  he  cried,  "that  Mitsuhide  has 
marched  against  us  with  a  troop  of  about  four 
thousand  men.  So  we  must,  all  of  us,  be  on  our 
guard." 

Rammaru  turned  to  Nobunaga.  "Rikimaru 
and  I,"  he  said,  "will  fight  the  enemy  in  front  of 
the  gate.  In  the  meantime,  I  hope  that  your 
lordship  will  be  ready  to  defend  yourself  with 
bow  and  arrows."  With  these  words  he  and  his 
brother  ran  out. 

Nobunaga  sighed  bitterly.  He  realized  that 
there  was  no  fighting  against  such  tremendous 
odds.  He  made  up  his  mind  to  help  his  grandson 
to  escape,  and  then  to  commit  suicide.  He  was 
just  ordering  the  child  to  be  brought  to  him  when 
Ano-no-Tsubone,  wounded  in  several  places  and 
carrying  the  blood-stained  halberd,  staggered  into 
the  room. 

"The  enemy  have  already  broken  through  the 
gate,  my  lord,"  said  she.  "I  will  go  and  rejoin 
the  fight.  In  the  meantime,  you  must  make  rapid 
preparations  for  flight.  The  sooner  you  are  able 
to  do  so,  the  better,  my  lord." 


THE  TREASON  OF  MIT  SUM  IDE         83 

"I  am  grateful  to  you  for  your  kind  words, 
Tsubone,"  said  Nobunaga  resignedly.  "I  am, 
however,  fully  prepared  to  die.  If  I  should  be 
killed  by  an  unknown  soldier,  in  an  attempt  to 
escape,  it  would  be  an  everlasting  disgrace.  But 
I  am  troubled  about  the  safety  of  Samboshi.  I 
want  you  to  take  the  child  and  hasten  to  Hide- 
yoshi's  camp  at  Takamatsu,  in  the  province  of 
Bitchu.  When  you  arrive  there,  tell  him  to  take 
care  of  Samboshi,  and  to  revenge  my  death  on  the 
accursed  traitor.  I  earnestly  request  you  to  do 
this  for  me." 

The  lady  burst  into  tears.  "Oh,  my  lord!" 
she  sobbed.  "You  must  forgive  me  if  I  disobey 
your  orders.  I  cannot  forsake  you  on  the  eve  of 
your  death.  Permit  me  to  share  your  fate,  dear 
lord." 

But  Nobunaga  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  her  entreaty, 
and  peremptorily  commanded  her  to  leave  his 
presence.  At  that  moment  Rammaru  came  back, 
after  having  cut  down  many  of  the  enemy.  He 
prostrated  himself  before  Nobunaga. 

"I  have  received  a  report,"  he  said,  "to  the 
effect  that  Mitsuhide  has  sent  another  army  to  the 
Nijo  Castle.  Lord  Nobutada's  retainers  have 


84  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

fought  bravely,  but  in  vain.  He  has,  alas!  made 
up  his  mind  to  kill  himself.  The  enemy  have 
already  forced  their  way  into  our  temple,  and  I 
fear  that  all  is  lost.  Your  lordship's  obvious  duty 
is  to  commit  seppuku,  and  I'll  follow  you  to  the 
Meido!" 

"I  am  quite  prepared  to  do  so,"  said  Nobunaga 
calmly.  "Tsubone1,  you  must  take  Samboshi, 
and  leave  at  once.  Why  do  you  hesitate  to  obey 
my  commands?" 

Urged  by  this  repeated  order,  the  lady  sum- 
moned a  retainer  and,  sorrowfully  taking  her 
leave,  stole  out  of  the  postern. 

Nobunaga  was  now  freed  from  the  only  cause 
of  his  solicitude.  He  was  about  to  take  his  life, 
when  a  large  number  of  the  foes,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Shioden,  burst  into  the  courtyard. 
Nobunaga  seized  a  bow  and  arrow,  and  cried 
angrily : 

"Where  is  the  traitor  Mitsuhide?  Let  him 
appear,  so  that  he  may  die  by  my  arrow." 

He  shot  many  arrows  with  such  skill  and  prompti- 
tude, that  a  number  of  the  hostile  soldiers  fell 
dead  on  the  spot.  The  rest  were  frightened,  and 
did  not  dare  to  approach.  Taking  advantage 


THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE          85 

of  the  lull,  Nobunaga  retired  to  the  inner  room 
and  committed  seppuku.  Then  Rammaru,  Riki- 
maru,  and  all  the  other  survivors  drew  their 
daggers  and  stabbed  themselves  to  death. 


IV 

HASHIBA  HID&YOSHI,  the  ablest  of  Nobunaga's 
generals,  was  now  engaged  in  the  conquest  of 
Mori  Terumoto,  who  was  the  prince  of  a  large 
part  of  the  Central  Provinces,  and  who  had  not 
yet  submitted  to  the  supremacy  of  Nobunaga. 
Hideyoshi  had  for  some  weeks  been  carrying  on 
an  attack  upon  the  Castle  of  Takamatsu,  in  the 
province  of  Bitchu,  which  was  one  of  Terumoto's 
strongholds.  The  garrison  defended  themselves 
with  great  courage.  The  castle  was  protected  on 
one  side  by  a  river,  and  on  the  other  three  sides 
by  swamps;  so  it  was  impossible  for  a  large  force 
to  approach  it  by  land.  Hideyoshi's  character 
was  marked  by  a  wonderful  genius  for  strategy. 
He  saw  that  the  one  way  to  capture  the  fort  was 
to  flood  it  out  with  water.  With  this  intent,  he 
commanded  his  troops  to  dam  up  the  river  below 
the  fortress.  This  was  gradually  accomplished. 
The  water  rose  by  degrees,  and  the  higher  it  rose 
the  more  uncomfortable  became  the  occupants 
of  the  castle. 

86 


THE  TREASON  OF  MIT  SUM  IDE         87 

One  day  a  female  warrior,  having  a  halberd 
in  her  hand,  forced  her  way  through  the  ranks  of 
the  besieging  army  and  rushed  to  the  entrance 
of  Hideyoshi's  headquarters  and  cried,  with 
gasps : 

"  Is  General  Hideyoshi  within?" 

Hideyoshi,  wondering  who  it  could  be,  went  to 
the  door.  He  was  astonished  to  see  Ano-no- 
Tsubone,  exhausted,  pale  as  death,  and  covered 
with  wounds,  supporting  herself  by  the  shaft  of  a 
blood-stained  halberd.  He  grasped  the  fact  that 
she  had  brought  some  momentous  news;  so  he 
softly  arranged  her  clothing,  and  gave  her  a 
stimulating  draught,  and  urged  her  to  tell  him 
her  message.  The  lady  fixed  her  eyes  sadly  on  the 
general's  face  and  burst  into  a  torrent  of  tears. 
But  she  controlled  herself  with  a  great  effort,  and 
told  between  gasps  all  that  had  happened.  She 
informed  him  how  Mitsuhide  had  treasonably 
marched  on  the  Honnoji;  how  Nobunaga  and 
Rammaru  and  all  the  other  retainers  had  come 
to  a  tragic  end;  how  the  nobleman,  before  his 
death,  had  ordered  her  to  communicate  to  Hide- 
yoshi his  ardent  wish  that  he  should  be  avenged 
on  the  traitor.  She  also  told  how  she  had  cut 


88  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

her  way  through  the  enemy's  ranks  with  Nobu- 
naga's  grandson  under  her  care,  how  she  had 
left  the  child  under  the  protection  of  General 
Hosokawa,  and  found  her  way  alone  thither, 
through  all  manner  of  perils  to  bring  the  tidings. 
At  the  conclusion  of  her  narration,  she  gave  one 
choking  gasp  and  fell  prostrate  on  to  the  ground, 
dead. 

When  he  heard  this  pathetic  story,  Hideyoshi 
was  seized  with  grief  and  amazement.  He  feared 
that  if  the  news  of  Nobunaga's  untimely  end 
should  spread,  it  might  dishearten  his  troops 
and  lead  to  a  defeat.  He  therefore  cried  at  the 
top  of  his  voice:  "I  have  killed  a  woman  who  has 
tried  to  deceive  me." 

He  then  returned  to  an  inner  room,  where  he 
burned  incense,  and  read  the  sutras,  and  prayed 
to  the  soul  of  his  departed  liege  lord.  When  he 
had  finished,  he  began  to  ponder  how  he  might 
best  deal  with  the  traitor  Mitsuhide. 

At  this  moment  messengers  from  Terumoto 
arrived,  bearing  proposals  of  peace.  Hideyoshi 
promptly  consented  to  them,  and  a  treaty  was 
at  once  concluded.  Thereupon  he  raised  the 
siege  and  hastened  towards  the  Capital  in  order 


THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE         89 

to  chastise  Mitsuhide.  Hideyoshi  was  so  eager 
to  reach  his  destination  that  he  hurried  on, 
regardless  of  the  army  which  accompanied  him. 
A  small  body-guard  kept  up  as  well  as  they  could 
with  their  impatient  chief. 

On  the  second  day  of  their  forced  march,  Hide- 
yoshi and  his  body-guard  found  themselves  at 
Amagasaki  in  the  province  of  Settsu.  There  he 
rested  in  a  farmer's  house,  to  await  the  arrival  of 
his  army.  While  he  was  there,  a  peasant  and  a 
Buddhist  priest  came  and  begged  for  an  interview 
with  him.  Hideyoshi's  soldiers  threatened  them, 
and  said  that  it  was  very  presumptuous  for  a 
mere  peasant  and  a  humble  priest  to  ask  for  such 
a  privilege.  But  the  two  visitors  earnestly  re- 
peated their  entreaty.  They  stated  that  they 
were  well  acquainted  with  the  general  and  had 
come  on  purpose  to  see  him.  When  Hideyoshi 
heard  of  their  petition  he  summoned  them  to  his 
presence.  He  scrutinized  them  closely,  but  could 
not  recall  their  faces.  He  asked  them  who  they 
were,  and  what  was  their  business. 

"Excuse  me,  sir,"  said  the  rustic  peasant,  with 
a  look  of  wonder,  "but  your  memory  seems  to 
be  very  poor.  Have  you  forgotten  Chobei  in  the 


90  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

village  of  Imazato,  near  Osaka?  He  had  the 
honour  of  sheltering  you  two  or  three  years  ago, 
when  you  and  Lord  Nobunaga  fled  there,  after 
losing  a  battle." 

"I  am  Kenketsu,  the  priest  of  the  Kwannonji 
Temple  in  the  province  of  Omi,"  said  the  priest 
familiarly.  "When  you  visited  my  temple  some 
time  ago,  I  had  the  pleasure  to  serve  you  with  tea. 
Have  you  forgotten  that?  When  I  heard  that 
your  honour  had  come  back  from  the  Central 
Provinces  to  punish  the  traitor  Mitsuhide,  I  was 
filled  with  joy.  I  have  therefore  come  with  Cho- 
bei,  to  pay  you  respects.  It  gives  me  great  pleas- 
ure to  see  you  well  and  in  good  spirits." 

Hideyoshi  racked  his  memory,  but  he  could 
not  call  them  to  mind;  so  he  thought  that  their 
visit  must  have  some  significance.  But  the  saga- 
cious general  gave  them  a  nod  of  recognition. 

"Ah!"  he  said.  "I  remember  both  of  you.  I 
am  glad  to  see  you  again,  and  to  have  this  oppor- 
tunity of  thanking  you  for  past  favours." 

"I  have  important  news  to  tell  you,"  said 
ChObei  seriously.  "The  traitor  Mitsuhide  has 
stationed  the  main  body  of  his  army  at  my  village, 
and  his  vanguard  is  ambuscaded  on  the  main 


THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE         91 

road  to  Kyoto.  It  is  therefore  very  dangerous 
for  you  to  proceed  to  the  Capital.  We  have  been 
thinking  carefully  and,  in  the  humble  opinion  of 
both  of  us,  we  consider  that  you  had  better  sum- 
mon your  body-guard  and  hasten  to  my  village 
by  a  bypath,  and  give  Mitsuhide  a  surprise  at- 
tack. If  you  do  this,  you  can  easily  destroy  him. 
Our  sole  intention  in  coming  here  was  to  suggest 
this  plan  to  you.  But  I  must  not  forget  to 
offer  you  this  small  present" — he  took  two  musk- 
melons  out  of  a  straw  basket  he  was  carrying  in 
his  hand — "These  melons  were  grown  in  my  field. 
Kindly  do  me  the  honour  to  accept  them." 

When  he  heard  these  words,  Hideyoshi's  sus- 
picions were  aroused  still  more.  But  he  said  with 
an  air  of  confidence,  "Thanks,  my  friends!  I 
deeply  appreciate  your  kindly  thoughts." 

The  two  men  showed  signs  of  satisfaction  and 
happiness  when  they  heard  his  thanks.  At  that 
moment  a  company  of  soldiers  rushed  forth  from 
a  thick  forest  close  by.  "We  are  Mitsuhide's 
troops,"  they  cried  and,  uttering  loud  shouts, 
attacked  Hideyoshi's  body-guard.  Kat5  Kiyo- 
masa,  a  brave  officer  of  the  guard,  immediately 
rushed  at  them,  and  his  mighty  strokes  put  them 


92  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

to  rapid  flight.  The  hero  at  once  pursued  them 
to  the  seashore. 

The  peasant  seemed  to  be  amazed  at  this  sudden 
attack. 

"Your  honour,"  he  cried,  "you  are  in  great 
danger!  You  must  not  stay  here  any  longer! 
Hasten,  I  implore  you,  to  my  village !  Come  with 
us!  We  will  be  your  guides!  We  will  go  first, 
and  show  you  the  way." 

Chobei  and  the  priest  took  a  few  steps  forward. 
Hideyoshi  promptly  seized  the  opportunity,  and 
cut  down  the  priest  from  behind. 

"Villain!"  he  roared,  "you  cannot  deceive  me! 
I  recognize  you  as  Mitsuhide's  retainer  Shioden!" 

It  was  useless  for  Shioden  to  conceal  his  identity 
any  longer,  so  the  hero,  who  was  impersonating 
the  peasant,  turned  round  and  threw  off  his 
disguise. 

"Your  shrewdness  fills  me  with  admiration, 
Hideyoshi,"  he  said.  "You  have  said  truly,  that 
I  am  Shioden.  I  regret  that  my  attempt  to  lure 
you  to  destruction  has  failed,  but  I  intend,  never- 
theless, to  let  you  sample  the  sharpness  of  my 
sword." 

As  he  spoke  he  unsheathed  a  sword,  which  he 


THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE         93 

was  carrying  concealed  in  a  straw  wrapper,  and 
made  a  furious  lunge  at  Hideyoshi.  The  soldiers 
of  the  latter  rushed  to  his  rescue.  Shioden  cut 
and  hewed  with  Herculean  strength.  It  did  not 
take  many  minutes  for  several  of  the  soldiers  to 
be  slain.  The  rest  took  to  their  heels.  In  the 
meanwhile,  Hideyoshi,  with  his  characteristic 
quick- wittedness,  stripped  the  dead  priest  of  his 
robe  and  donned  it  over  his  armour.  In  this 
disguise,  he  leapt  into  his  saddle  and,  spurring 
the  horse,  galloped  away.  Shioden  gave  chase, 
but  found  it  impossible  to  overtake  him.  How- 
ever, he  ran  at  full  speed,  stumbling  over  stones, 
and  trampling  on  cornfields,  when  Kato  Kiy omasa 
appeared  and  barred  his  way.  The  two  heroes 
closed  in  a  severe  contest,  and  fought  for  a  good 
while,  with  equal  success.  It  seemed  impossible 
to  tell  to  whom  the  victory  would  fall.  But  at 
last  Kiyomasa  dropped  a  mighty  blow  which 
Shioden  failed  to  ward  off,  and  the  latter  was  cut 
down.  Kiyomasa  then  cast  a  searching  eye  in  all 
directions  to  discover  the  whereabouts  of  his 
chief.  To  his  regret  and  anxiety,  Hideyoshi  had 
ridden  into  the  forest  some  distance  away,  and 
there  were  no  signs  of  him  to  be  seen. 


A  FEW  days  after  he  had  caused  the  murder  of 
Nobunaga,  Mitsuhide  took  possession  of  Kyoto 
and  the  neighbouring  provinces.  The  usurper 
induced  the  Emperor  to  bestow  upon  him  the 
title  of  Shogun,  and  declared  his  authority  through- 
out the  land.  He  selected  the  Myoshinji  Temple  as 
his  headquarters  at  the  Capital,  and  made  exten- 
sive arrangements  to  defend  himself  against 
Hideyoshi's  revengeful  attack. 

Mitsuhide's  old  mother,  Satsuki  ("Azalea"), 
was  filled  with  regret  at  his  heinous  crime  of 
having  slain  his  lord.  An  intense  hatred  of 
her  son  sprang  up  in  her  heart,  and  she  declined 
to  live  under  the  same  roof  with  him.  At  last, 
in  spite  of  the  earnest  opposition  of  her  family, 
she  left  the  temple  in  the  garb  of  a  humble  Bud- 
dhist pilgrim. 

She  went  to  the  before-mentioned  Amagasaki, 
and  rented  a  small  house.  Here  she  led  a  solitary 
life,  passing  her  days  and  nights  in  devotion  and 
prayers  and  the  perusal  of  the  sutras.  Mitsu- 

94 


THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE         95 

hide  kept  her  constantly  supplied  with  money 
and  provisions. 

One  day  Mitsuhide's  wife  Misao  ("Chastity") 
called  at  Satsuki's  cottage,  accompanied  by  her 
son  Jujiro's  fiancee  Hatsugiku  ("Early  Chrysan- 
themum"), to  inquire  after  her  health.  The  old 
woman  welcomed  them  heartily.  After  they  had 
talked  on  various  topics  for  some  minutes,  she 
asked  anxiously:  "By  the  by,  Misao,  is  Jujiro 
still  safe  in  the  headquarters?" 

"He   is   still    there,"    answered    Misao.     "He 

ardently  wishes  to  join  in  today's  battle,  and  to 

f 

cover  himself  with  glory.  He  has  obtained  per- 
mission from  his  father,  but  his  sense  of  duty 
prevents  him  from  going  to  battle  without  gaining 
your  permission  also.  He  begged  me  therefore 
to  ask  for  your  consent.  Are  you  willing  to  allow 
him  to  go  to  war,  mother?" 

"Jujiro's  idea  is  indeed  admirable,"  said  the 
old  lady,  bursting  into  tears  of  joy.  "I  cannot 
understand  how  a  real  samurai  such  as  Jfljiro 
could  have  possibly  been  born  to  such  a  vile 
wretch  as  Mitsuhide.  Of  course  I  will  grant  his 
request." 

At   this   moment   a   Buddhist   priest   wearing 


96  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

sandals  on  his  feet,  and  carrying  something  on  his 
back  wrapped  in  a  furoshiki,  knocked  at  the  door. 

"I  am  a  priest,"  he  said,  "on  a  pilgrimage  to 
various  temples  in  different  provinces.  I  am 
afraid  that  you  will  think  I  am  asking  too  much, 
but  can  you  give  me  lodging  for  the  night?" 

"I  am  afraid  I  can  only  offer  you  very  poor 
accommodation,"  answered  the  old  woman,  "but 
you  are  welcome  to  spend  the  night  under  my 
roof." 

"Many  thanks,  my  dear  madam." 

With  this  he  immediately  entered,  and  began 
to  untie  his  sandals.  Misao  and  Hatsugiku 
brought  him  a  tub  of  water  in  which  to  wash  his 
feet. 

"You  are  very  kind,  ladies,"  said  the  shaveling. 
"Please  do  not  put  yourselves  to  so  much  trouble. 
A  travelling  priest  always  has  to  do  everything 
for  himself.  I  can  sleep  soundly  anywhere,  even 
in  the  corner  of  a  shed.  I  need  neither  a  mosquito 
net  nor  bedding.  Please  leave  me  to  myself,  and 


"There  is  one  thing  I  must  tell  you,  priest," 
broke  in  the  old  lady.  "There  is  a  bath-room  just 
beside  the  entrance.  The  bath-tub  is  luckily 


THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE         97 

filled  with  water.  You  are  at  liberty  to  light  the 
fire,  and  warm  it  for  a  bath.  I'll  take  a  bath 
when  you  have  finished." 

"  Most  certainly.     I'll  do  so  gladly." 

With  these  words  he  went  out  to  the  bath-room. 

Soon  afterwards  Jujiro  arrived.  He  was  ac- 
companied by  a  retainer  carrying  his  armour- 
chest.  It  was  the  young  samurai's  intention  to 
make  his  start  for  the  battle  from  his  grandmother's 
dwelling. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you  in  such  good  health, 
grandmother,"  he  said,  bowing  politely.  "Has 
mother  communicated  my  request  to  you?  Will 
you  grant  it?" 

"I  am  indeed  .glad  to  see  you,  JajirO,"  an- 
swered Satsuki  almost  overcome  with  joy,  "of 
course  I  will  permit  you  to  go  to  the  battle! 
Hatsugiku  is  fortunately  here,  so  it  is  my  ardent 
wish  that  before  you  set  out  for  your  first  battle, 
you  will  celebrate  your  marriage  with  her.  Your 
joy,  dearest  girl,  must  be  very  great!  I  will  at 
once  fetch  some  sak6,  so  that  you  can  exchange 
the  nuptial  cups." 

Hatsugiku's  face  was  so  crimson  with  blushes 
that  it  resembled  a  frost-bitten  maple  leaf.  She 


98  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

could  not  restrain  her  joy.  But  Jujiro  sat  in 
melancholy  silence.  He  brooded  over  the  obvious 
fact  that  his  father's  army  was  doomed  to  extinc- 
tion. He  had  therefore  resolved  to  die  fighting. 
It  filled  him  with  pity  to  see  his  grandmother  and 
Hatsugiku,  who  were  ignorant  of  his  determina- 
tion, in  such  high  spirits.  The  old  woman,  Misao, 
and  Hatsugiku  went  into  the  kitchen  to  prepare 
the  sake  and  arrange  the  cups  and  other  articles 
necessary  for  the  marriage  ceremony. 

Jujiro  continued  his  meditations.  His  head 
drooped  like  a  withering  flower,  unable  to  draw 
up  water.  After  a  time,  he  wiped  away  his  tears 
and  said  to  himself:  "This  is  my  last  farewell  in 
this  life,  to  my  dear  mother  and  grandmother. 
My  request  has  been  granted,  so  I  leave  this 
world  without  any  regrets.  With  what  kindness 
they  have  brought  me  up  during  eighteen  long 
years!  Their  favours  are  indeed  'deeper  than 
the  ocean  and  higher  than  the  mountain ! '  I  hope 
they  will  bear  in  mind  that  it  is  the  common 
lot  of  every  warrior  to  die  in  battle,  and  forgive 
me  for  leaving  this  life  ere  they  do.  And  now 
my  thoughts  turn  towards  Hatsugiku.  It  is  for- 
tunate for  us  that  we  have  not  yet  exchanged 


THE  TREASON  OF  MIT  SUM  IDE          99 

nuptial  cups.  I  hope  that  she  will  give  me  up 
and  wed  another  warrior.  Poor  girl!  She  will 
grieve  bitterly  when  she  hears  the  news  of  my 
death!" 

In  the  meantime,  Hatsugiku  had  been  listening 
in  the  adjoining  room  to  this  soliloquy  which  was 
overflowing  with  filial  piety  and  love.  She  rushed 
in  and  burst  into  loud  weeping.  Jujiro  was 
astonished,  and  placed  his  hand  over  her  mouth. 

"Hush,  Hatsugiku!"  said  he  reproachfully. 
"Don't  weep  so  loud.  Did  you  overhear  what  I 
said?" 

"Yes,  I  heard  everything.  How  can  it  be  kept 
a  secret  from  a  wife,  that  her  husband  is  going  to 
die  in  battle?  I  thought  that  you  and  I  were  to 
be  husband  and  wife  for  two  existences, — nay, 
even  three;  but  alas!  dear  Jujiro,  how  unkind 
of  you  to  say  that  it  is  fortunate  for  us  that  we 
have  not  yet  exchanged  nuptial  cups!  What  a 
pity  it  is  you  are  going  to  die  in  battle,  before  we 
are  married!" — the  girl  clung  to  him  and  wept — 
"I  would  not  for  all  the  world  have  you  slain! 
I  implore  you  to  give  up  all  idea  of  going  to  the 
battle-field,  dear  Jujiro." 

"  You  are  a  warrior's  daughter.    I  intended  from 


ioo  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

the  first  to  fight  to  the  death.  If  grandmother 
discovers  you  weeping,  and  perceives  my  resolve, 
I  will  divorce  you  for  all  time  and  eternity!" 

"What  is  that  you  say?" 

"Oh!  we  are  wasting  time  in  useless  conversa- 
tion. Bring  me  that  armour-chest.  Quick!" 

"Very  well,"  was  the  girl's  sobbing  reply. 

"Quickly,"  said  Jujiro  with  irritation.  "The 
longer  you  are,  the  worse  it  will  be!  Do  not  be 
so  unreasonable." 

"It  is  not  possible  for  me  to  make  haste  in 
helping  my  beloved  husband  don  his  armour,  when 
I  know  he  is  bent  upon  dying  on  the  battle-field." 

With  these  words  she  took  out  a  suit  of  armour 
made  of  red  threaded  plates.  Its  sleeves  were 
besprinkled  with  a  shower  of  her  tears.  Jujiro 
promptly  clothed  himself  in  the  beautiful  armour 
and  a  graceful  helmet.  Thus  equipped,  he  looked 
a  perfect  warrior.  His  mother  and  grandmother 
entered  at  this  moment  with  sake-cups  and  a 
wooden  stand  on  which  to  place  them,  a  sak& 
holder  with  a  long  handle,  and  other  articles  of 
ceremony.  They  gazed  at  his  gallant  appearance 
with  admiration. 

"How  fine  you  look!"  exclaimed  the  old  woman, 


•I 

pq 


THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE        101 

her  face  wreathed  in  smiles.  "How  manly!  I 
feel  as  if  I  could  behold  you  fighting  a  glorious 
fight !  This  cup  is  intended  both  as  your  wedding 
cup  and  Jujiro's  farewell  cup.  Take  it  quickly, 
bride!  What  a  joyful  occasion  it  is!" 

The  more  the  old  lady  rejoiced  the  more  Hatsu- 
giku  felt  the  grief  of  farewell.  Her  husband 
was  a  handsome  warrior,  and  yet  now  she  must 
exchange  the  last  farewell  cup  with  him ! 

"You  must  fight  bravely  and  achieve  many 
glorious  deeds,  dear  husband,"  she  said,  smiling 
bravely  to  disguise  her  grief.  "But  I  hope  you 
will  return  in  triumph  this  evening " 

She  could  not  breathe  another  word.  Her 
bosom  was  so  wrung  with  grief  that  it  choked  her 
utterance.  When  Jujiro  perceived  this,  he  wept 
also,  his  tears  moistening  the  string  of  his  helmet. 
At  that  moment  a  sound  of  battle  drums  was 
heard,  borne  in  upon  a  gust  of  wind.  He  sum- 
moned up  his  courage  and  sprang  to  his  feet. 

"And  now,"  he  cried,  "I  must  bid  farewell  to 
all  of  you!" 

He  shook  the  sleeves  of  his  armour  from  the 
grasp  of  his  wife,  and  darted  for  the  battle-field. 
Hatsugiku  fell  to  the  ground. 


102  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

"My  heart  is  broken!"  she  wailed  amid  a  tor- 
rent of  tears.  The  old  woman  and  Misao  looked 
ruefully  at  each  other. 

"Oh,  mother!"  said  Misao  tearfully. 

"Misao!"  said  the  old  woman,  her  voice  broken 
with  sobs.  "I  have  cruelly  allowed  Jujiro  to  go 
to  his  death.  Hatsugiku,  I  knew  that  he  had 
resolved  to  fight  to  the  end.  I  desired  to  let  him 
die  manfully,  rather  than  see  him  executed  under 
the  brand  of  'traitor.'  I  made  you  exchange  nup- 
tial cups  partly  for  the  sake  of  a  last  farewell, 
and  partly  that  you  should  both  separate  without 
any  feelings  of  regret.  My  thoughts  are  too  deep 
for  expression!"  When  they  heard  her  confes- 
sion, both  Hatsugiku  and  Misao  fell  to  crying 
convulsively.  At  that  moment,  the  above  men- 
tioned priest  came  in  with  an  air  of  innocence. 
"The  bath  is  ready,  good  ladies,"  he  said,  "will 
one  of  you  take  it?" 

"Thanks  for  your  trouble,"  said  Satsuki,  turn- 
ing away  her  tearful  face.  "But  a  fresh  bath 
is  harmful  to  an  old  woman.  The  others  are 
younger  than  I.  You  had  better  take  it  first, 
sir  priest." 

"Well,  while  you  are  busy  declining  the  bath,  it 


Mr.  Nizayemon 


/ 


- 


Mr.  Nizayemon  as  Mitsuhide 


THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE        103 

is  no  doubt  getting  cold,  so  I  will  take  the  liberty 
to  bathe  before  you." 

The  priest  then  went  to  the  bath-room,  whilst 
the  three  women  entered  the  inner  room. 

The  moon  was  shedding  its  pale  beams  on  the 
projecting  roof  of  the  bath-room,  and  the  only 
sound  that  broke  the  stillness  of  the  night  was 
the  croaking  of  the  frogs  in  the  rice-field  near  by. 
Suddenly  Mitsuhide  appeared  at  the  trellis  of 
bottle-gourds  close  by  the  bath-room. 

"That  priest  must  be  Hideyoshi,"  he  thought 
to  himself .  " I'll  dispatch  him  at  a  single  blow!" 
He  cut  down  a  bamboo  from  the  grove,  intending 
to  use  it  as  a  spear.  He  then  slowly  approached 
the  bath-room  with  soft  stealthy  steps.  Hearing 
a  sound  within  he  thrust  his  spear  in  at  the  window 
with  great  dexterity.  Immediately  a  woman's 
voice  was  heard,  shrieking  in  agony.  He  thought 
this  was  very  strange,  so  opening  the  door,  he 
dragged  out  the  wounded  person  from  within. 
To  his  horror  and  consternation,  he  discovered 
that  it  was  not  Hideyoshi,  but  his  own  mother 
Satsuki,  who  lay  before  him,  writhing  in  intense 
pain. 


104  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

"Great  Heavens!"  cried  Mitsuhide.  "Is  it 
you  whom  I  have  killed,  mother?"  He  was  so 
stupefied  with  amazement,  that  he  could  utter  no 
other  words.  Hearing  the  sounds,  Misao  and 
Hatsugiku  rushed  out  and  clinging  to  the  dying 
woman  wept  bitterly. 

"Mother!"  cried  Misao.  "What  has  brought 
you  to  this  pitiful  plight?" 

"Your  tears  are  useless,"  said  the  old  woman 
opening  her  dim  eyes.  "It  is  natural  that  such 
a  misfortune  should  befall  a  relative  of  Mitsuhide. 
He  has  murdered  his  master,  Lord  Nobunaga, 
the  Minister  of  the  Right.  By  committing  the 
horrible  crime  of  treason,  he  has  compromised 
our  house  which  has,  up  to  this  time,  been  free  from 
infamy.  He  is  an  undutiful  son, — nay,  more, — • 
he  is  an  unspeakable  wretch.  There  are  no  words 
that  can  fully  express  his  wickedness.  Wealth 
and  rank  gained  by  unrighteous  means  are  like 
floating  clouds.  He  boasts  of  having  slain  his 
lord.  He  forgets  that  even  if  a  man  becomes  Em- 
peror or  Shogun  by  such  wicked  means,  he  is  far 
worse  than  the  most  miserable  beggar.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  a  man  has  a  mere  pittance  to  live 
upon,  it  is  worth  more  than  the  income  of  a  great 


THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE        105 

daimio,  if  he  serves  his  master  and  parents  faith- 
fully, and  duly  fulfils  the  duties  of  benevolence 
and  justice;  of  loyalty  and  filial  piety.  The  base- 
ness of  your  heart  has  caused  all  this  misery, 
Mitsuhid6.  There  are  various  weapons  with 
which  to  kill  a  samurai,  and  yet  I  am  killed  with 
a  bamboo  spear,  which  is  generally  used  only  for 
butchering  wild  boars!  The  punishment  of 
Heaven,  for  your  having  assassinated  your  lord, 
is  now  visited  on  your  mother." 

With  these  words  she  seized  the  end  of  the  spear 
and  with  great  courage  thrust  it  deeper  into  her 
wound. 

"Oh,  think  of  it,  my  dear  husband!"  said 
Misao,  choked  with  tears.  "Why  did  you  not 
listen  to  my  earnest  remonstrances  against  your 
evil  plan?  Had  you  done  so,  this  misfortune 
would  not  have  happened  to  us!  I  know  you 
did  it  unwittingly,  but  think  of  the  horror  of  hav- 
ing killed  your  mother  with  your  own  hand! 
Before  our  mother  dies,  I  beseech  you  to  express 
sorrow  for  your  deed!" 

The  true  and  faithful  wife  clasped  her  hands, 
and  urged  this  entreaty  with  bitter  tears. 

"Your  reproaches  are  too  bold!"  roared  Mitsu- 


106  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

hid6,  with  inflexible  determination  written  upon 
his  fierce  countenance.  "Cease  to  talk  such 
nonsense!  Have  you  forgotten  how  often  that 
tyrant  of  Oda  Nobunaga  insulted  me?  I  was 
under  no  great  obligations  to  him.  In  spite  of 
my  faithful  remonstrances,  he  destroyed  Shinto 
and  Buddhist  temples.  His  evil  deeds  increased 
day  by  day,  so  I  took  his  life  in  accordance  with 
a  warrior's  duty  and  for  the  sake  of  the  Empire. 
My  deed  covers  me  with  honour  and  glory.  King 
Bu  of  China  slew  the  tyrant  Chu  and  in  our  own 
country  Ho  jo  Yoshitoki  exiled  an  Emperor. 
These  illustrious  examples  show  that  it  is  the 
desire  of  all  Japanese  and  Chinese  heroes  to  relieve 
the  people  of  their  grievances,  by  destroying  their 
tyrants.  What  can  women  such  as  you  know 
about  such  matters  ?  You  had  better  keep  away . ' ' 

There  suddenly  arose  a  deafening  sound  of  battle 
drums.  Mitsuhide  and  the  others  strained  their 
eyes  to  see  what  was  happening.  At  this  moment 
Jujiro  returned,  and  tottered  up  to  the  house, 
leaning  on  his  sword,  with  the  blood  flowing  like 
a  torrent  from  his  wounds. 

"My  parents!  Are  you  here?"  he  gasped,  in 
the  agony  of  approaching  death.  Misao  and 


THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE        107 

Hatsugiku  were  struck  with  sorrow  and  despair 
at  his  ghastly  plight.  The  girl  ran  up  to  him. 

"Oh,  what  misery,  Jujiro!"  she  said  with  sobs. 
"First  grandmother,  and  now  you  are  in  such  a 
terrible  condition!  Have  courage,  my  dear!" 

"Why  are  you  so  downhearted?"  cried  Mitsu- 
hide,  in  order  to  stir  up  the  sinking  youth .  ' '  What 
is  it?  Tell  me  all  that  has  happened." 

Jujiro  pulled  himself  together  and  gasped  out 
the  news: 

"In  accordance  with  your  command,  I  and  my 
army  of  three  thousand  horsemen  encamped  on 
the  seashore,  where  we  lay  in  ambuscade.  The 
enemy  were  quite  unsuspicious  of  this,  and  rowed 
up  to  the  shore.  There  they  landed  in  order  to 
march  for  the  Capital.  We  did  not  neglect  such 
an  opportunity,  so  we  suddenly  fell  upon  them, 
uttering  loud  yells  and  cries,  and  cut  and  hewed 
in  all  directions.  The  enemy  were  completely 
taken  by  surprise,  and  ran  in  confusion.  We 
pursued  them,  and  fought  with  all  our  strength. 
Suddenly  from  behind  us  a  loud  voice  was  heard 
to  cry,  'Stay!  Look  at  me!  I  am  Kato  Kiyo- 
masa,  a  retainer  of  Hashiba  Hideyoshi.  You, 
the  son  of  the  traitor  Mitsuhide,  and  your  fol- 


io8  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

lowers  shall  now  feel  the  sharpness  of  my  sword. ' 
Kiyomasa  cut  at  us  with  his  great  sword,  and 
raged  with  demoniacal  fury.  His  soldiers  were 
so  encouraged  by  this,  that  they  fell  upon  us  with 
renewed  vigour.  So  powerful  was  their  attack, 
that  in  a  few  minutes  my  troops  were  killed  to  a 
man.  I  am  the  sole  survivor  of  the  battle,  left 
to  tell  you  that  tale,  dear  father." 

"What  cowardice!"  cried  Mitsuhide,  his  hair 
bristling  with  desperate  anger.  "What  has  be- 
come of  Shioden?" 

"  Shioden's  one  aim  was  the  destruction  of  Hide- 
yoshi.  He  fought  by  himself  since  yesterday 
morning,  and  I  missed  him  in  the  mttte.  I  do 
not  know  for  certain  whether  he  is  alive  or  dead. 
I  was  anxious  about  father's  safety,  and  so  I  cut 
my  way  through  the  enemy's  ranks,  and  have 
come  back  here.  It  is  dangerous  to  stay  here 
any  longer.  Do  not  lose  a  moment  in  hurrying 
back  to  our  province,  father!" 

Although  he  was  rapidly  losing  strength  on 
account  of  his  wounds,  JujirO  only  thought  of  his 
father.  His  grandmother  so  admired  his  filial 
piety,  that  she  burst  into  tears. 

"Listen,  Misao,"  she  said,  "Jujiro  is    fatally 


THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE        109 

wounded,  and  yet  he  thinks  only  of  my  wicked 
son.  He  is  a  splendid  example  of  filial  piety! 
Mitsuhide,  have  you  no  feelings  of  pity  or  love  for 
your  son?  Alas!  my  dearest  grandson  has  lost 
his  life  in  the  infamous  name  of  a  vile  traitor, 
instead  of  dying  honourably  in  the  cause  of  loyalty 
and  justice.  This  is  the  result  of  your  wicked 
heart!  Oh,  what  have  I  done  to  deserve  such  a 
fate?" 

The  dying  warrior  heard  the  voice  of  the  old 
woman. 

"Ah!  Are  you  indeed  killed,  grandmother?" 
he  asked  in  faint  tones.  ' '  Is  this  our  last  farewell  ? 
I  should  like  to  see  your  face  once  more  before  I 
die,  but  I  can  see  no  longer.  Farewell,  father, 
mother,  and  Hatsugiku." 

With  these  words  he  breathed  his  last,  with  his 
hand  fast  held  by  Hatsugiku. 

"It  is  true  that  it  is  the  common  lot  of  every 
warrior  to  die  in  battle,"  said  his  mother  bursting 
into  bitter  tears —  "but  oh!  the  pity  of  it!  For 
eighteen  years  he  has  never  known  a  moment  of 
enjoyment.  All  his  days  have  been  passed  in  the 
din  and  noise  of  war.  He  has  devoted  all  his 
life  to  the  art  of  the  bow  and  arrow.  This  morn- 


no  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

ing,  when  he  was  on  the  point  of  starting  for  the 
battle-field,  he  said  with  a  smile,  '  Dear  mother, 
I  expect  to  distinguish  myself  in  my  first  battle 
today.  I  shall  be  praised  for  it  by  father  and 
grandmother.'  His  bright  smile  as  he  spoke 
still  lingers  in  my  vision.  I  can't  forget  it." 

Hatsugiku  wept  bitterly.  "Is  there  any  one  in 
all  the  wide  world  more  unhappy  than  I?"  she 
sobbed.  "Only  this  morning  I  was  married  to 
him,  and  now  we  are  parted  for  ever!  We  have 
bidden  each  other  a  sad  farewell,  and  have  never 
placed  our  pillows  side  by  side  even  once.  What 
sin  have  I  committed  that  Heaven  should  punish 
me  thus?  My  only  wish  is  that  I  should  accom- 
pany my  husband  to  the  Meido.  Oh,  let  me  die 
with  him!" 

The  girl  took  the  hand  of  the  dead  warrior,  and 
looked  tenderly  at  his  pale  face.  At  this  touching 
sight,  Misao  and  Satsuki  burst  again  into  loud 
weeping. 

The  filial  love  and  paternal  affection  of  the 
brave  Mitsuhide  were  now  stirred  to  their  depths. 
He  could  restrain  his  grief  no  longer,  but  burst  into 
floods  of  tears.  At  that  moment  a  confused  noise 
of  battle  cries,  neighing  horses,  and  the  whiz  of 


THE  TREASON  OF  MITSUHIDE   in 

darting  arrows,  was  heard  near  at  hand.  Mitsu- 
hide  sprang  to  his  feet. 

"  Do  those  sounds  come  from  the  enemy  or  from 
my  troops?"  he  cried.  "Is  it  victory  or  defeat?" 

He  climbed  a  knotted  pine-tree  in  the  front  of 
the  yard,  and  stared  fixedly  on  the  villages  below. 

"See!"  he  cried.  "A  large  number  of  war 
vessels  are  sailing  up  one  after  the  other  from  the 
left  of  the  Wada  promontory.  Ah!  I  can  see 
among  them  the  banner  of  'A  Thousand  Gourds.' 
I  am  sure  it  is  Hideyoshi's  army !  He  has  managed 
to  escape  from  this  house,  and  is  now  marching 
against  me." 

With  these  words  he  jumped  down.  "Well," 
he  cried.  "I'll  strike  the  'ape-faced  sandal 
bearer'1  down  with  a  single  blow."  He  ran  out 
with  a  determined  countenance. 

At  that  moment  a  voice  cried:  "Wait  one 
moment,  Akechi  Mitsuhide.  Hashiba  Hideyoshi 
wants  to  meet  you." 

With  these  words,  the  hero  himself  appeared 
on  the  scene,  dressed  in  a  brilliant  war-coat  and 

1  In  his  younger  days,  Hide"yoshi  served  Oda  Nobunaga  as 
zdri  tori  or  sandal  bearer,  and  his  face  somewhat  resembled  that 
of  an  ape. 


112  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

beautiful  armour  instead  of  the  priest's  robe  in 
which  he  had  been  disguised.  Mitsuhide  looked 
back  in  amazement  and,  retracing  his  steps,  cried 
with  a  fierce  look : 

"I  am  glad  to  see  you,  Hideyoshi.  Akechi 
Mitsuhide  will  now  celebrate  your  funeral  rites. 
Prepare  for  your  last  moments."  Mitsuhid6 
was  ready  for  an  attack,  but  the  dying  mother 
intercepted  them. 

"Lord  Hideyoshi,"  she  said,  "look  at  me.  I 
have  been  killed  with  this  bamboo-spear,  as  a 
divine  punishment  for  my  son's  crime  of  having 
murdered  his  master.  I  don't  regret  dying  by 
the  hand  of  my  son,  because  I  hope  that  my  death 
may  be  a  means  of  extenuating  his  vile  crime. 
Lord  Hideyoshi,  I  beseech  you  to  place  it  upon 
record  that  Mitsuhide's  mother  was  crucified  for 
the  sake  of  her  son's  crime.  Mitsuhide  will  then 
be  freed  from  the  infamy  of  matricide.  I  beg 
you  to  do  this  out  of  my  foolish  affection  for  my 
wicked  son.  I  die  contented,  for  I  would  rather 
hasten  to  the  other  world  after  my  grandson 
than  stay  in  this  wearisome  universe.  Farewell! 
Farewell!" 

So  saying  she  passed  peacefully  away.    Misao 


THE  TREASON  OF  MIT  SUM  IDE        113 

and  Hatsugiku  flung  themselves  on  the  body  with 
loud  protestations  of  grief.  Struck  with  sympathy 
for  Mitsuhide's  mother,  Hideyoshi  was  silent  for 
a  while.  Then  he  said : 

"Mitsuhide,  you  are  my  sworn  enemy.  It 
would  be  an  easy  matter  for  me  to  kill  you  now 
that  you  are  defenceless.  But  I  am  incapable 
of  such  an  unmanly  deed.  This  is  what  I  propose 
to  do.  I  will  meet  you  on  an  appointed  day  at 
Yamazaki,  in  the  province  of  Yamashiro,  and  our 
conflict  shall  be  decided  by  a  fight  to  the  death. 
Do  you  agree  to  this?" 

"If  you  wish  it,"  answered  Mitsuhid6,  "so  be 
it.  I  will  return  to  the  Capital,  gather  together 
my  troops,  and  meet  you  at  Yamazaki  in  two  or 
three  days." 

After  making  this  promise  the  two  heroes  bowed 
courteously  to  each  other  and  parted. 


The  battle  of  Yamazaki  was  fought  two  days 
afterwards.  In  the  beginning,  both  armies  fought 
with  equal  success,  but,  later  on,  Mitsuhide's 
troops  lost  ground,  little  by  little,  until  at  last 
most  of  them  fell.  Mitsuhide,  with  great  diffi- 
t 


ii4  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

culty,  succeeded  in  cutting  his  way  through  the 
enemy's  ranks,  and  took  a  road  by  a  bamboo 
grove,  near  the  village  of  Ogurusu.  Suddenly  a 
company  of  Hideyoshi's  horsemen,  who  had  over- 
taken him  by  a  short  cut,  fell  upon  him.  He 
fearlessly  encountered  them,  and  cut  thirteen  of 
them  down,  the  rest  taking  to  flight. 

Mitsuhide  alighted  and,  resting  in  the  shade 
of  the  bamboos,  began  to  think  of  his  past  and 
present  fortunes,  good  and  bad.  He  recognized 
that  all  hope  was  now  gone,  so  he  made  up  his 
mind  to  commit  suicide.  He  knelt  with  signs  of 
despair,  and  made  ready  to  perform  the  melan- 
choly deed.  At  that  moment,  however,  several 
peasants  thrust  at  him  with  bamboo-spears  from 
inside  the  grove.  The  wounded  warrior  sprang  to 
his  feet  with  a  roar  of  rage  and  furiously  cut  at 
them.  They  were  immediately  filled  with  terror 
and  beat  a  hasty  retreat.  Then  Mitsuhide  again 
resumed  his  former  position,  and  with  calm  de- 
termination committed  seppuku.  On  the  second 
of  June  he  had  assassinated  Nobunaga,  and  it 
was  on  the  thirteenth  of  the  same  month  that  he 
met  his  tragic  end.  So  that  his  glory  as  Shogun 
had  lasted  only  ten  days. 


THE  TREASON  OF  MIT  SUM  IDE        115 

Misao  and  Hatsugiku  entered  a  nunnery,  where 
they  took  life  vows,  and  for  the  remainder  of  their 
days  prayed  for  the  departed  souls. 


O-Some  and  Hisamatsu 

From 

The  Shimpan  Uta  Zaimon 

By 

CHiKamatsxi  Hanji 


117 


O-Some  and  Hisamatsu 


[ERE  once  lived  a  young  man  named 
Hisamatsu.  He  was  in  the  service 
of  the  proprietress  of  a  prosperous 
oil-shop  close  by  the  Kawaraya 
Bridge,  in  the  city  of  Osaka.  He  was  eighteen 
years  of  age  and  had  an  amiable  disposition,  an 
honest  character,  and  a  very  handsome  person. 

His  father,  Sagara  Jodayfl,  who  had  formerly 
been  a  noble  samurai  of  the  Ishizu  Clan,  in  the 
province  of  Izumi,  had  in  his  custody  a  Yoshi- 
mitsu  blade,  which  was  an  ancestral  treasure  of 
his  liege  lord.  This  blade  was  stolen  and,  as  a 
mark  of  apology,  Jodayu  committed  seppuku 
and  his  house  was  ruined. 

Hisamatsu  was  then  a  mere  baby,  under  the 
protection  of  his  nurse  O-Sho.  Both  nurse  and 
child  were  taken  to  the  house  of  the  former's  elder 
brother  Kyusaku,  a  farmer  in  the  village  of  Nozaki 
several  miles  from  Osaka.  Kyusaku  brought  the 

119 


120  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

boy  up  among  the  children  of  the  coarse  peasants 
until  he  was  ten  years  old,  when  he  was  sent  to 
the  shop  before  mentioned  with  a  view  to  his 
learning  good  manners  and  refined  ways. 

The  shop  was  kept  by  a  middle-aged  widow 
called  O-Katsu,  who  had  many  clerks  and  servants 
besides  Hisamatsu  in  her  employment.  Her  only 
daughter  and  heiress,  O-Some,  had  been  brought 
up  tenderly,  and  in  great  luxury.  She  was,  at  that 
time,  seventeen  years  old,  and  generally  consid- 
ered throughout  the  city  to  be  peerlessly  beau- 
tiful. A  mutual  attachment  sprang  up  between 
her  and  Hisamatsu,  and  they  secretly  exchanged 
vows  of  eternal  fidelity. 

Unfortunately  for  the  devoted  lovers,  an  ob- 
stacle arose  in  their  way.  There  was  a  young 
millionaire  named  Yamagaya  Sashiro  living  in 
the  same  city,  and  he  was  passionately  enamoured 
of  0-Som6.  One  day  he  impetuously  asked 
O-Som6's  mother  for  her  daughter's  hand  in  mar- 
riage. The  mother  disliked  him,  and  had  a  cer- 
tain amount  of  sympathy  for  her  daughter's 
affection  for  Hisamatsu.  She  therefore  was  un- 
willing to  accept  his  proposal.  But  she  owed 
SashirO's  father  thousands  of  ryo,  so  she  dared 


0-SOME  AND  HISAMATSU  121 

not  give  him  a  direct  refusal.  She  was  at  last 
compelled  to  give  a  reluctant  consent,  but  she 
added  that  the  marriage  would  have  to  be  post- 
poned until  she  could  fully  persuade  her  daughter. 
This  was,  however,  only  a  pretext,  for  she  hoped 
that  in  the  meantime  circumstances  would  make 
it  possible  for  her  positively  to  refuse  Sashiro's 
offer. 

Sashiro  was  by  no  means  reassured  by  0-Katsu's 
consent.  He  wanted  so  keenly  to  win  the  heart 
of  O-Some,  that  he  prayed  the  gods  and  Buddha 
for  the  fulfilment  of  his  desire.  Every  day  he 
visited  different  temples  and  shrines  to  repeat  his 
foolish  prayer.  One  day  he  went  to  a  great  shrine 
called  the  Zama  Myojin  in  the  city,  not  far  from 
O-Some's  house,  and  was  earnestly  making  hya- 
kudo-mairi,  or  the  "hundredfold  penance,"  walking 
up  and  down  on  the  long  pavement  between  the 
sanctuary  and  the  torii.  Kosuke,  the  head  clerk 
of  the  oil-shop,  chanced  to  discover  him  wrapped 
in  devotion.  Kosuke  was  a  crafty  and  covetous 
knave.  He  had  at  Sashiro's  request,  secretly 
delivered  a  love-letter  to  O-Some,  and  moreover 
he  had  heard  of  her  intrigue  with  Hisamatsu. 
He  therefore  evolved  the  dark  scheme  of  having 


122  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Hisamatsu  dismissed  on  some  false  charge  or 
other,  in  order  to  enable  Sashiro  to  be  successful 
in  his  love-affair,  and  also  to  receive  a  good  sum 
from  him  in  return.  Now  when  he  discovered 
Sashiro  making  hyakudo-mairi,  his  heart  bounded 
with  joy,  for  he  thought  the  opportunity  had 
come  for  him  to  satisfy  his  greed.  He  ran  to  the 
house  of  a  fortune-teller  who  was  living  in  front 
of  the  shrine.  He  whispered  in  the  old  diviner's 
ears  all  the  details  of  Sashiro's  affair,  and  suggested 
a  plan  by  which  they  could  extort  money  from 
the  foolish  suitor.  The  greedy  old  clairvoyant 
gave  a  ready  consent,  and  Kosuke  departed. 

Kosuke  then  stealthily  returned  to  the  shrine, 
and  watched  Sashiro's  doings.  The  young  mil- 
lionaire had  by  this  time  finished  his  hyaku- 
domairi,  and  was  now  prostrated  before  the 
sanctuary  and  utterly  ignorant  of  Kosuke's  pre- 
sence. He  clapped  his  hands,  and  prayed  with 
closed  eyes: 

"Namu  Zama  God!  Grant  that  I  may  obtain 
O-Some,  daughter  of  the  oil-shop  keeper  at  Kawa- 
raya-bashi,  for  my  wife.  Almighty  God,  cause 
her  heart  to  be  filled  with  love  for  me!  Namu 
Shimmei  God!  Namu  Inari  God!  Namu  Hachi- 


O-SOME  AND  HIS  AM  AT  SU  123 

man  God!  Vouchsafe  that  my  desire  may  be 
realized " 

"Sashiro  San,  I  believe!"  cried  Kosuke1,  sud- 
denly laying  a  hand  on  his  shoulder.  "How 
diligent  you  are,  as  usual!" 

"Is  it  you,  Kosuke?"  said  he  with  a  startled 
look.  "When  did  you  come  here?" 

"I  came  a  little  while  ago,  and  heard  all  your 
fervent  prayer." 

"Did  you?"  said  Sashiro,  rubbing  his  head  in 
perplexity.  "  I  am  ashamed  to  hear  it ! " 

"Why  should  you  be  ashamed,  sir?  I  have 
handed  O-Some  the  letter  you  gave  me  the  other 
day,  and  I  have  brought  her  answer — "  he  smiled 
mischievously —  "  Perhaps  you  will  be  too  ashamed 
to  look  at  her  letter  in  my  presence." 

"What!  An  answer  from  O-Some?"  cried 
Sashiro  in  pleased  surprise.  "That's  good  news 
indeed!  Let  me  see  it  at  once,  Kosuk6." 

So  saying,  he  held  out  his  hand.  But  the  cun- 
ning clerk  pushed  it  off,  and  taking  a  letter  from 
the  bosom  of  his  kimono  said : 

"You  are  very  impatient,  sir.  Indeed  I  have 
the  letter  here,  but  I  cannot  so  readily  give  it  to 
you.  I  will  read  it  to  you,  and  you  must  give 


124  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

me  a  thank-offering  for  each  encouraging  sen- 
tence.    I  will  not  read  it  unless  you  do  so.     Do 
you  agree  to  my  conditions,  sir?" 
"Certainly." 

Kosuke  unfolded  the  letter,  and  began  to  read 
with  an  important  air. 

"  'DEAR  SASHIRO:  Many  thanks  for  your 
favour  of  the  other  day.'  Observe  that  O-Some' 
says,  'Many  thanks.'  'I  am  very  pleased  that 
you  appreciate  me  so  much — '  mark  her  words 
— '  very  pleased, '  " — he  held  out  his  hand — "  Give 
me  the  first  thank-offering,  sir!" 

Sashiro  produced  a  gold  coin,  and  handed  it  to 
Kosuke,  saying: 

' '  Come !    Read  on ,  sir. " 

"  'But  it  grieves  me  to  say  that  I  am  obliged 
to  decline  your  kind  proposal,  as  I  have  a  mother 
and  I  cannot  decide  anything  without  consulting 
her!'" 

"But,"  groaned  SashirO,  "doesn't  she  say 
'decline  your  proposal?' 

"  Don't  be  disappointed !  That  sentence  means 
that  if  her  mother  gives  permission,  she  will  consent 
to  marry  you.  Now  listen  to  some  more:  'I  asked 
my  mother  for  her  opinion  and,  to  my  joy  and 


0-SOME  AND  HIS  AM  AT  SU  125 

happiness,  she  said  that  I  could  have  a  free  hand 
in  matters  relating  to  matrimony. '  What  do  you 
think  of  that,  sir?" 

"Here  is  another  thank-offering,"  said  Sashiro 
filled  with  an  ecstasy  of  joy,  and  giving  him  double 
the  previous  amount.  "Read  the  remainder 
quickly." 

"  'But  frankly  I  must  tell  you  that  I  have  no 
regard  for  you. ' 

"Oh!    'No  regard  for  me'!" 

"One  minute,  sir!  I  think  that  statement  is 
the  outcome  of  modesty.  What  follows  proves 
my  opinion.  'I  suppose  you  are  jesting  with 
me,'  and  the  next  sentence  is  this:  'If  you  are 
in  earnest,  I  hope  that  you  will — '  What  fol- 
lows is  of  the  greatest  importance,  and  merits  a 
very  large  thank-offering,  sir." 

No  sooner  had  he  spoken,  than  Sashiro  again 
doubled  the  reward,  and  urged  him  to  proceed 
further. 

Kosuke  read  on  composedly:  "  'If  you  are 
in  earnest,  I  hope  that  you  will  completely  give 
me  up.  It  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  bring 
myself  to  regard  such  a  man  as  you  with  love  and 
respect'  " 


126  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

"Oh  horror!  What  follows?"  exclaimed  the 
disappointed  suitor. 

"Well,  as  to  the  rest — " — Kosuke  rapidly  ran 
his  eye  over  the  remaining  part  of  the  letter — 
"I  think  you  had  better  not  hear  it.  I  won't 
read  it.  If  I  did  you  would  not  find  it  interest- 
ing. I  am  afraid  you  must  consider  your  gener- 
ous thank-offering  as  so  much  money  lost.  You 
might  as  well  have  dropped  it  in  a  well  or  a  gutter." 

Sashiro's  face  suddenly  fell,  as  if  he  brooded 
over  the  fruitlessness  of  all  his  prayers,  and  the 
"hundredfold  penance." 

"To  tell  you  the  truth,  sir,"  said  KosukS, 
1 '  your  love  is  thwarted  by  that  stripling  Hisamatsu. 
I  have  no  doubt  that  O-Some  is  bewitched  by 
him.  Therefore  I  think  the  best  thing  for  you 
to  do  is  to  get  a  necromancer  to  offer  prayers  for 
severing  their  relations.  What  do  you  think  of 
that,  sir?" 

"That  is  a  capital  idea,"  said  Sashiro,  recover- 
ing his  spirits.  "First  of  all  I  will  ask  a  fortune- 
teller whether  my  love  will  be  attained,  and  in 
case  there  is  hope,  I  must  make  him  offer  prayers." 

Thus  the  guileless  Sashiro  was  entrapped,  and 
they  went  together  to  consult  the  aforesaid  diviner. 


0-SOME  AND  HISAMATSU  127 

The  old  quack  purposely  assumed  a  serious 
countenance,  and  looked  intently  at  Sashiro's 
face  for  a  good  while. 

"Oh,  you  have  a  remarkable  physiognomy," 
he  exclaimed.  "I  judge  from  it  that  you  are 
thirty-one  years  of  age.  Am  I  indeed  correct? 
You  seem  to  be  a  very  rich  man,  and  with  such 
wealth  at  your  disposal  you  can  accomplish  any- 
thing you  desire." 

At  this  keen  insight,  Sashiro  was  wonder-struck. 
The  old  man  continued:  "You  have  come  to  ask 
my  help  in  a  love  affair,  I  dare  say.  Am  I  right, 
sir?"  Sashiro  nodded  reverentially,  filled  both 
with  astonishment  and  admiration.  "Well,"  con- 
tinued the  clairvoyant,  "there  is  an  obstacle  in 
the  way  of  your  love  affair.  You  cannot  hope 
to  realize  your  desire,  until  you  have  disposed  of  a 
serious  rival.  If  you  like  I  will  do  away  with  him 
by  virtue  of  prayers.  If  he  is  got  out  of  the  way, 
there  is  no  doubt  your  purpose  will  be  attained, 
sir." 

These  words  inspired  Sashiro  with  an  absolute 
confidence  in  the  powers  of  the  fortune-teller,  and 
he  decided  to  invite  him  to  his  house,  in  order  that 
he  might  offer  prayers  for  seven  days  and  seven 


128  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

nights  for  the  death  of  Hisamatsu.  In  return 
he  promised  to  pay  a  large  quantity  of  silver  and 
gold  coins.  These  arrangements  were  concluded, 
and  the  three  of  them  took  leave  of  each  other. 

To  return  to  Hisamatsu.  On  the  afternoon  of 
the  same  day,  he  went  on  an  errand  in  order  to 
collect  a  sum  of  150  ryo  from  his  mistress'  custom- 
ers. The  villainous  Kosuke"  determined  to  seize 
this  opportunity  to  execute  his  evil  design  against 
Hisamatsu.  With  this  intent  he  secretly  shadowed 
him. 

Hisamatsu  was  quite  unaware  of  this,  and  after 
he  had  received  the  money,  he  hastened  back  in 
the  direction  of  the  shop. 

Just  in  front  of  the  fortune-teller's  stand 
he  fell  in  with  his  sweetheart  O-Som6,  who  was 
strolling  about  the  Zama  Shrine,  hoping  to  meet 
him. 

The  young  lovers  were  rejoiced  at  meeting  each 
other,  and  for  a  while  they  were  engaged  in 
happy  conversation.  They  soon  found  it  incon- 
venient to  talk  on  the  public  street,  so  they  entered 
the  fortune-teller's  house,  from  which  the  old 
man  was  fortunately  away.  There  they  were  safe 
from  observation  so  they  were  able  to  talk  freely 


0-SOME  AND  HISAMATSU  129 

over  the  things  they  had  for  days  been  keeping 
in  store. 

Suddenly  their  blissful  conversation  was  inter- 
rupted by  a  sound  of  loud  wrangling  and  cries  of 
a  crowd,  proceeding  from  outside  the  gate.  They 
were  filled  with  excitement  and  curiosity,  and 
rushing  out,  they  saw,  in  the  midst  of  a  throng  of 
people,  a  samurai  engaged  in  a  fierce  quarrel  with 
a  merchant.  The  samurai  was  about  to  draw  his 
sword.  Hisamatsu  and  O-Some  mingled  with  the 
crowd,  and  were  surprised  to  see  Kosuke  there! 
They  stole  quietly  away,  to  avoid  being  seen  by 
him.  While  he  was  looking  at  the  quarrel,  Hisa- 
matsu's  pocket  was  picked  of  his  mistress'  purse 
of  money.  This  had  been  carefully  arranged  by 
an  artifice  of  Kosuke's.  The  samurai  and  the 
merchant  were  his  accomplices,  and  their  quarrel 
was  a  mere  trick  done  to  divert  Hisamatsu's 
attention. 

When  he  returned  to  the  oil-shop,  Hisamatsu 
was  amazed  to  discover  the  loss  of  the  purse,  but 
his  regrets  were  of  no  avail.  All  his  associates 
suspected  him  of  theft,  and  Kosuke  in  particular 
censured  and  abused  him. 


II 

HISAMATSU'S  foster-father  KyQsaku  was  an 
honest  old  man.  His  family  consisted  of  three 
members  besides  Hisamatsu:  his  wife,  his  step- 
daughter, who  was  named  O-Mitsu,  and  himself. 
The  wife  had  been  ailing  a  long  time,  and  conse- 
quently O-Mitsu  was  so  busy  nursing  her  mother, 
cooking  for  the  family,  and  with  other  matters, 
that  she  had  little  or  no  time  for  her  own  toilet, 
though  she  was  now  at  the  attractive  age  of  sixteen. 
O-Mitsu  was  the  daughter  of  Kyusaku's  wife  by 
her  former  husband,  but  being  of  a  sweet  disposi- 
tion, she  regarded  Kyusaku  with  as  much  affec- 
tion as  was  due  to  a  real  father.  The  old  man  in 
return  loved  her  with  a  more  than  parental  affec- 
tion. He  and  his  wife  had  early  made  up  their 
minds  to  marry  her  to  Hisamatsu.  They  had 
several  times  hinted  as  much  to  her  evident  joy. 

Kyusaku,  therefore,  was  surprised  and  grieved 
to  hear  that  Hisamatsu  was  paying  attention  to 
his  mistress'  daughter.  The  old  man's  sorrow 
and  anxiety  were  intensified  when  he  heard  that 

130 


0-SOME  AND  HISAMATSU  131 

Hisamatsu  had  lost  the  great  sum  of  150  ryo,  be- 
longing to  his  mistress.  The  honest  and  upright 
Kyusaku  thought  that  he  himself  was  responsible 
for  the  missing  money,  and  that  he  must  by  some 
means  or  other  repay  the  full  sum.  With  this 
firm  resolution,  he  struggled  with  great  difficulty 
to  raise  the  amount  required  by  selling  his  patch 
of  land,  and  by  raising  a  mortgage  on  O-Mitsu's 
garments,  combs,  and  ornaments.  His  next  in- 
tention was  to  hasten  to  Osaka,  with  the  money, 
and  to  apologize  for  his  foster-son's  carelessness. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  it  was  already 
past  noon,  he  made  preparations  for  his  journey. 
O-Mitsu  begged  him  to  postpone  his  journey  until 
the  following  morning,  saying  that  it  was  too  late. 
But  Kyusaku  obstinately  refused  to  listen.  He 
said  that  he  was  not  too  old  to  walk  a  dozen  to 
fifteen  miles  or  so,  and  he  would  be  back  before 
dusk.  He  then  bade  her  take  good  care  of  the 
sick  woman  and  started  for  the  city. 

Soon  after  his  departure,  Kosuk6  arrived,  ac- 
companied by  Hisamatsu.  He  had  come  in 
obedience  to  his  mistress'  command  to  take  the 
young  man  to  his  father's  home  for  the  time  being, 
until  the  matter  of  the  lost  money  should  be 


132  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

cleared  up.  But  the  black-hearted  Kosuk6  de- 
termined to  seize  this  opportunity  of  abusing  the 
innocent  youth,  and  make  him  give  up  all  idea  of 
returning  to  the  oil-shop. 

Kosuke"  had  scarcely  entered  the  door,  before 
he  cried:  "Is  Kyusaku  in?  Hisamatsu  has  com- 
mitted a  serious  misdeed,  so  I  have  brought  him 
back  on  purpose  from  Osaka." 

When  O-Mitsu  heard  Hisamatsu's  name  men- 
tioned, she  rushed  out  and  joyfully  exclaimed: 
"Oh,  Hisamatsu  San!  How  glad  I  am  to  see  you 
back!" 

"You  should  be  sorrowful,  not  glad,  that  Hisa- 
matsu has  returned,"  broke  in  Kosuke".  "He 
has  appropriated  the  large  sum  of  150  ryo,  and 
spent  it  on  harlots!  So  I  have  come  to  demand 
from  Kyusaku  immediate  repayment  of  the  money. 
If  he  refuse,  I  will  deliver  Hisamatsu  to  the 
authorities." 

"  Oh !  Impossible ! ' '  exclaimed  the  girl.  ' '  Hisa- 
matsu is  incapable  of  such  a  thing!  The  charge 
must  be  false!  Oh,  Hisamatsu,  plead  your 
innocence!" 

"If  he  could  have  explained  away  his  charge, 
I  would  not  have  taken  the  trouble  to  bring  him 


0-SOME  AND  HISAMATSU  133 

back,"  said  Kosuke  smiling  bitterly.  "  Come.  Is 
Kyusaku  in?  If  he  is  in,  let  him  appear.  He 
seems  to  be  a  poor  peasant,  living  from  hand  to 
mouth.  It  is  clear  that  he  cannot  pay  such  a 
large  amount.  But  nevertheless  I  want  to  see 
him.  Call  him  at  once,  girl!" 

"Father  is  not  at  home,  sir,"  answered  O-Mitsu. 
"He  started  for  Osaka  some  time  ago.  Did  you 
not  meet  him  on  the  road?" 

"Gone  to  Osaka?"  said  Kosuk6,  getting  more 
irritated.  ' '  That  is  a  lie !  If  it  were  true,  I  should 
have  met  him  on  the  way  here.  He  must  be 
hiding  somewhere.  I'll  search  the  house  for  him." 

With  these  words  Kosuke  rose  to  his  feet,  and 
prepared  to  enter  the  inner  apartment.  O-Mitsu 
hurriedly  stood  in  his  way. 

"My  sick  mother  is  lying  in  that  room,"  she 
said.  "Please  speak  a  little  more  quietly,  sir." 

But  Kosuke  did  not  heed  her,  and  pushing  her 
aside,  prepared  to  enter  the  room.  The  gentle 
Hisamatsu  could  remain  passive  no  longer.  He 
caught  the  ill-mannered  clerk  by  the  sleeve,  and 
said: 

"This  violence  is  not  necessary,  Kosuk6!  Our 
mistress  only  ordered  me  to  return  home,  and  stay 


134  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

with  my  parents  for  the  time  being.  She  did  not 
tell  you  to  act  in  this  summary  manner!" 

"I  act  in  a  summary  manner?"  roared  Kosuk6 
wrathfully.  "You,  a  thief,  dare  to  talk  to  me  in 
that  presumptuous  manner?" 

So  crying  he  struck  Hisamatsu  a  blow  which 
felled  him  to  the  ground,  and  then  kicked  and 
trampled  upon  him. 

The  horror-struck  girl  could  do  nothing  but 
look  on  trembling  and  wringing  her  hands.  At 
this  moment  Kyusaku  suddenly  returned.  O-Mitsu 
rushed  to  him,  crying  with  joy:  "Oh  father,  help 
Hisamatsu."  Scarcely  had  she  spoken,  when  the 
old  man  seized  the  ruffian,  and  threw  him  with 
a  thud  on  to  the  floor. 

"You  are  Kyusaku!"  said  Kosuk6,  rising  to 
his  feet.  "How  rude  you  are  to  throw  me  down, 
decrepit  old  man!" 

"Ha!  Ha!"  said  Kyusaku  laughing.  "How 
could  I,  an  old  man,  throw  you  down,  even  if  I 
try  my  hardest?  You  fell  down  accidentally! 
Well,  I  started  this  afternoon  for  Osaka  by  a  short 
route,  intending  to  call  at  your  shop.  When  I 
had  reached  the  outskirts  of  my  village,  I  heard 
that  Hisamatsu  and  a  gentleman  had  passed  there 


0-SOME  AND  HISAMATSU  135 

a  little  while  before.  I  therefore  abandoned  my 
journey,  and  have  come  back  to  meet  you,  sir. 
I  beg  to  thank  you  for  having  come  from  such  a 
distance.  O-Mitsu,  serve  tea  to  our  honourable 
guest  and  also  prepare  some  food  or  other  for 
him.  Please  make  yourself  at  home,  sir " 

"Oh,  don't  trouble  yourself,"  interrupted  the 
arrogant  clerk.  "How  could  my  digestion  endure 
food  prepared  in  such  a  dirty  house?  Cease  talk- 
ing nonsense,  and  come  to  the  point  quickly.  Will 
you  repay  the  150  ryo  that  Hisamatsu  has  pur- 
loined, or  must  I  sue  him?  Answer  me  quickly, 
Kyusaku." 

He  then  proceeded  to  give  a  garbled  and  false 
account  of  Hisamatsu's  loss  of  the  money. 

"Of  course  I'll  pay  the  money,"  said  Kyusaku 
calmly,  throwing  a  packet  of  money  on  the  floor, 
after  which  he  continued:  "Here  is  your  money. 
See  if  the  amount  is  all  right." 

Kosuke  picked  the  packet  up  wonderingly,  and 
opened  it.  Several  gold  coins  rolled  with  a  jingle 
on  the  floor.  He  counted  them,  and  found  that 
the  sum  was  indeed  150  ryo. 

"Now  that  I  have  repaid  the  money,"  said 
Kyusaku  somewhat  angrily,  "you  have  nothing 


136  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

more  to  grumble  at,  I  suppose !  Really,  I  intended 
to  ask  you  one  or  two  serious  questions,  Kosuke 
San,  but  for  your  own  sake  I  will  refrain  from 
doing  so.  I  do  not  require  you  any  further,  so  I 
beg  you  to  leave  at  once.  Good  afternoon." 

Kosuk6  had  not  a  word  to  say  in  reply,  and  so, 
placing  the  money  in  his  bosom,  he  went  away. 

After  the  rascal  had  departed,  Hisamatsu  and 
O-Mitsu  heaved  sighs  of  relief. 

"Thank  you  very  much,  dear  father,"  said 
Hisamatsu  wonderingly,  "but  how  did  you  manage 
to  raise  so  great  a  sum  as  150  ryo?" 

"Poor  as  I  am,  I  don't  find  it  difficult  to  raise 
such  an  amount,  should  an  emergency  occur! 
To  tell  the  truth,  I  have  always  had  the  money 
ready  in  case  of  need.  Don't  let  that  matter 
trouble  you,  my  son.  I  am  very  glad  that  you 
have  come  well  and  sound!  Fortunately  today 
is  a  lucky  day,  so  I  think  it  would  be  a  suitable 
occasion  on  which  to  celebrate  your  nuptials  with 
O-Mitsu,  according  to  our  arrangement.  It  will 
make  your  sick  mother  and  myself  happy.  I  am 
sure  you  will  both  agree." 

Hisamatsu  was  greatly  perplexed.  He  re- 
mained silent,  thinking  of  his  binding  vows  with 


Mr.  Baiko  as  0-Mitsu 


0-SOME  AND  HISAMATSU  137 

O-Som6.  O-Mitsu  on  the  other  hand  was  speech- 
less with  joy. 

"Aha,  I  see!"  said  Kyflsaku  smilingly.  "You 
are  both  too  bashful  to  answer,  I  suppose.  Of 
course  you  agree.  I  will  at  once  tell  the  old 
woman  of  this,  and  make  her  happy.  Come  with 
me  to  her  sick-room,  Hisamatsu.  Meanwhile 
O-Mitsu,  you  must  dress  your  hair,  and  prepare  a 
dish  or  two  for  the  wedding  feast." 

Thereupon  the  old  man  and  Hisamatsu  went 
into  the  inner  room. 

When  O-Mitsu  was  left  alone,  she  immediately 
set  about  cooking.  While  her  hand  was  busy  with 
a  kitchen  knife,  her  heart  was  overflowing  with 
thoughts  of  a  happy  married  life.  The  spell  of 
her  blissful  reverie  was  suddenly  broken  by  a 
girl's  voice  saying:  "Is  this  Kyusaku  San's  house? 
If  so,  has  a  young  man  named  Hisamatsu  called?" 

O-Mitsu  opened  the  door  to  see  who  it  was. 
She  was  surprised  to  see  that  the  visitor  was  a 
supremely  beautiful  girl,  dressed  in  the  latest 
fashion  of  Osaka.  She  was  evidently  the  daughter 
of  a  good  family.  The  truth  flashed  across  O- 
Mitsu's  mind.  She  concluded  that  the  girl  must 
be  the  much-talked-of  O-Some,  the  daughter  of 


138  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

the  proprietress  of  the  oil-shop.  Then  the  rumour 
she  had  heard,  that  Hisamatsu  was  unduly  inti- 
mate with  her,  was  an  actual  fact.  Strong  feelings 
of  jealousy  took  possession  of  her  mind 

"Kyusaku  and  Hisamatsu?"  was  her  brusque 
reply.  "I  don't  know  the  names.  Go  and 
enquire  elsewhere." 

Needless  to  say,  the  visitor  was  O-Som6.  She 
had  been  overwhelmed  with  sorrow,  when  she  had 
heard  that  her  beloved  had  gone  back  to  his 
parents'  home.  So,  with  the  excuse  that  she  was 
going  to  visit  the  temple  of  Kwannon  at  the  village 
of  Nozaki,  she  had  called,  accompanied  by  a  maid. 

She  knew  that  this  must  be  Hisamatsu' s  house, 
because  she  had  been  informed  of  the  fact  by  a 
villager.  She  therefore  refused  to  leave.  Wishing 
to  propitiate  the  offended  girl,  she  offered  her 
some  coral  beads,  wrapt  in  a  fukusa,1  saying 
politely : 

"  I  had  forgotten  all  about  this,  my  girl.  Please 
accept  a  little  present  as  a  memento  of  my  first 
visit  to  your  house." 

O-Mitsu  mechanically  held  out  her  hand  to 
receive  the  gift,  but  said  angrily:  "I  may  be  only 

1 A  silk  wrapper. 


0-SOME  AND  HIS  AM  AT SU  139 

a  country  girl,  but  you  cannot  lure  me  into  your 
snare!  I  don't  want  your  paltry  present!  You 
may  take  it  home ! " 

With  these  words  she  threw  the  gift  on  to  the 
ground,  and  slammed  the  door  in  O-Some's  face. 
Soon  afterwards  KyQsaku  and  Hisamatsu  came 
from  the  sick-room. 

"How  is  the  cooking  getting  on,  O-Mitsu?" 
said  the  old  man,  seating  himself  on  the  mat. 
"My  old  age  is  beginning  to  tell  on  me.  I  have 
walked  only  a  short  distance,  and  yet  my  shoul- 
ders and  feet  ache  sorely.  Hisamatsu,  come  and 
massage  my  back.  O-Mitsu,  if  you  have  time, 
will  you  cauterize  my  feet  with  moxa?" 

"Certainly,  father,"  she  replied  promptly. 
Hisamatsu  at  once  began  to  massage  Kyusaku's 
shoulders,  and  O-Mitsu  applied  moxa  to  his  feet. 
In  the  meantime  O-Some,  who  was  still  outside, 
caught  a  glimpse  of  Hisamatsu  through  a  chink  of 
the  door.  She  was  longing  for  him  so  ardently, 
that  she  could  not  resist  giving  a  loud  cough,  to 
let  him  know  that  she  was  there.  When  he  heard 
the  cough,  Hisamatsu  glanced  through  the  chink, 
and  was  taken  aback  when  he  saw  his  sweetheart. 
He  feared  that  his  father  might  discover  the  truth.. 


140  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

So  he  gave  a  hint,  by  saying:  "The  occasion  is 
bad !  The  place  is  wrong ! ' ' 

Kyusaku  was  astonished  at  his  son's  words. 
"The  place  is  wrong?"  he  said,  "what  do  you 
mean  by  that,  Hisamatsu?" 

Hisamatsu  for  a  while  was  puzzled  how  to  reply. 
"Well,"  he  said  at  last,  "I  mean  O-Mitsu  is 
applying  the  moxa  in  the  wrong  place." 

"That's  untrue,"  said  O-Mitsu  impatiently. 
"A  beautiful  hussy  from  Osaka  has  come  here 
inquiring  for  Hisamatsu.  He  shows,  by  saying 
such  strange  things,  that  he  is  possessed  heart  and 
soul  with  that  she-devil." 

"What  do  you  say,  O-Mitsu  Don?"  said  Hisa- 
matsu, looking  at  her  fiercely.  "A  beautiful 
hussy!  A  devil!  Never  let  me  hear  you  repeat 
such  things  again,  or  you  will  repent  it  bitterly." 

"Oh,  I  am  not  afraid.  I  shall  repeat  it  if  I 
wish.  I  am  sure  that  you  are  infatuated  with 
that  wanton  hussy !  Is  it  not  so?" 

"  Ha !  Ha ! "  broke  in  Kyusaku  laughing.  ' '  It 
is  early  days  for  you  to  be  jealous  and  squabble 
like  that.  Why,  you  are  not  married  yet.  Hark! 
The  old  woman  is  groaning  again.  This  time  you 
must  nurse  her  with  me,  O-Mitsu." 


0-SOME  AND  HIS  AM  AT  SU  141 

So  saying,  the  old  man  took  the  reluctant  girl 
with  him  into  the  sick-room. 

No  sooner  was  Hisamatsu  left  alone,  than  he 
rushed  down  to  the  door  and  opened  it.  O-Some 
ran  in,  and  both  embraced  each  other,  speechless 
with  emotion.  After  a  brief  silence,  the  girl  said : 
"This  morning  I  was  astonished  to  read  in  your 
letter  that  you  were  going  back  to  stay  for  the 
time  being  in  your  village.  I  was  still  more 
astonished,  and  overcome  with  sorrow,  when  at 
the  foot  of  the  letter  I  read  your  unkind  words: 
'  Please  give  me  up,  and  accept  Sashiro's  proposal.' 
I  was  so  sorrowful  and  anxious,  that  I  could  no 
longer  remain  quiet  at  home.  I  keenly  wanted 
to  meet  you,  and  sound  your  mind  in  order  to 
make  my  decision.  I  therefore  told  them  at  home 
that  I  was  going  to  visit  the  temple  of  Kwannon 
at  Nozaki  and  left  the  house  with  a  maid.  I  had 
great  difficulty  in  finding  my  way  here,  but  I 
arrived  at  last.  Have  you  really  made  up  your 
mind  to  give  me  up?  If  you  have  decided  to  do 
so,  I  shall  take  my  life.  In  that  case,  I  hope  that 
after  my  death,  you  will  wed  that  girl,  and  live 
thereafter  a  happy  married  life."  Saying  this, 
she  produced  a  dagger  from  her  kimono,  and  was 


I42  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

about  to  plunge  it  into  her  throat,  when  Hisa- 
matsu  caught  her  arm,  and  exclaimed  in  bewilder- 
ment: "If  you  long  for  me  as  intensely  as  that, 
you  shall  not  die  alone  !  I  must  confess  the  truth, 
that  I  also,  long  ago,  made  up  my  mind  to  destroy 
myself!" 

In  their  excitement,  they  had  so  raised  their 
voices  that  the  sound  penetrated  into  the  inner 
apartment.  Kyflsaku  was  immediately  heard  to 
cry:  "Oh,  that  is  a  bad  resolve!" 

The  surprised  lovers  started  apart,  and  O-Some 
was  about  to  rush  out.  However,  Kyusaku  at 
that  moment  appeared,  and  bade  her  stay.  The 
old  man  greeted  her  politely,  and  then  mildly 
but  earnestly  reproved  their  conduct.  He  said 
that  it  was  an  unpardonable  crime  for  a  servant 
to  seduce  his  mistress'  daughter.  It  was  also  a 
great  disgrace  for  the  daughter  of  a  good  family 
to  form  a  liaison  with  a  man  in  their  service. 
Therefore  the  pair  must  give  each  other  up,  even 
if  it  broke  their  hearts. 

"While  the  old  woman  still  breathes,"  contin- 
ued Kyusaku  with  tears,  "I  want  to  marry  Hisa- 
matsu  to  O-Mitsu,  that  the  poor  old  soul  may  go 
to  the  Meido  with  a  peaceful  mind.  So  it  is  my 


0-SOME  AND  HIS  AM  AT SU  143 

ardent  desire  that  you  should  both  listen  to  my 
advice,  and  give  each  other  up." 

The  young  lovers  shed  bitter  tears,  and  expressed 
sorrow  for  their  misdeed,  and  promised  to  follow 
his  admonition.  But  they  made  up  their  minds 
to  commit  suicide  together,  and  communicated 
their  melancholy  decision  to  each  other  by  means 
of  secret  signs.  Kyusaku  was  rejoiced  to  hear 
their  promise,  and  highly  admired  their  ready 
obedience.  He  then  brought  a  bottle  of  sakt 
and  cups,  with  the  intention  of  immediately 
making  Hisamatsu  and  O-Mitsu  exchange  the 
nuptial  cups. 

"I  say,  O-Mitsu,"  he  cried,  "if  you  are  ready, 
come  here  quickly!" 

O-Mitsu  slowly  walked  in  with  a  wataboshi1 
covering  her  head  and  face,  and  sat  down  before 
Hisamatsu. 

"Oh,  you  have  decided  to  wear  a  veil,  O- 
Mitsu!"  said  Kyusaku  laughingly.  "You  are 
quite  right  to  observe  an  old  usage.  And  yet 
that  looks  too  formal.  You  had  better  take  it 
off." 

1  A  hood  and  a  veil  combined  and  made  of  undyed  cotton  or 
silk. 


144  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

So  saying  the  old  man  removed  the  veil,  and 
was  astonished  to  see  that  her  jet-black  hair,  which 
had  formerly  been  newly  dressed  in  the  beautiful 
Shimada  style,  was  cut  short.  She  also  was  hold- 
ing a  rosary  in  her  hand,  and  was  entirely  dressed 
in  the  robes  of  a  Buddhist  nun!  They  were  all 
three  struck  dumb  with  amazement.  O-Mitsu's 
lips  trembled,  and  she  suddenly  burst  into  floods 
of  tears. 

"I  am  sure,"  she  said,  "that  you  are  all  aston- 
ished at  my  appearance.  I  judged  from  Hisa- 
matsu's  and  O-Some's  manner  and  looks  that 
they  would  kill  themselves  if  I  did  not  be- 
come a  nun.  So  in  order  to  save  their  lives,  I 
have  abandoned  my  love,  affection,  and  jealousy, 
and  have  resolved  to  pass  the  rest  of  my  days  in 
seclusion  as  a  nun.  I  earnestly  hope  that  you 
will  both  live  for  ever  as  man  and  wife,  and  allow 
me  to  be  as  a  sister  to  you.  I  do  not,  believe  me, 
feel  any  ill-will  towards  either  of  you.  I  beg  that 
you  will  not  let  my  sacrifice  prove  useless." 

The  three  listeners  could  do  nothing  but  weep 
and  lament  at  the  girl's  touching  confession. 

Whilst  the  above  described  scene  had  been 
taking  place,  a  middle-aged  woman  had  been 


0-SOME  AND  HISAMATSU  145 

watching  the  scene  from  outside  the  door.  She 
was  none  other  than  O-Some's  mother,  0-Katsu, 
who  had  been  so  anxious  about  her  daughter  that 
she  had  followed  her.  She  had  overheard  O- 
Mitsu's  words,  and  was  moved  to  tears.  She 
opened  the  door,  and  entered  the  room  with  the 
hot  tears  fast  rolling  down  her  cheeks.  She 
apologized  profusely  for  her  daughter,  and  ex- 
pressed her  hearty  sympathy  and  admiration  for 
O-Mitsu.  She  then  turned  to  Kyusaku,  and  told 
him  that  she  entirely  believed  in  Hisamatsu's 
innocence  in  the  matter  of  the  lost  150  ryo.  She 
had  left  the  superintendence  of  her  clerks  and 
servants  in  the  hands  of  the  head  clerk  Kosuke, 
and  so  the  business  was  now  under  his  care.  Now 
that  Kyusaku  had  so  generously  repaid  the  money, 
there  was  no  need  for  Hisamatsu  to  stay  any 
longer  with  his  parents.  She  would  take  him 
back  with  her  to  Osaka,  and  he  might  continue 
in  her  service  as  before. 

"I  cannot  find  words  in  which  to  express  my 
gratitude  to  O-Mitsu  for  her  noble  sacrifice!" 
concluded  she.  "Kyusaku  San,  will  you  allow 
me  to  offer  her  this  sum  of  money,  as  a  token  of 
my  thankfulness?" 


146  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAM/IS 

So  saying,  she  handed  the  old  man  the  150  ryo 
which  she  had  received  from  Kosuke. 

At  first  he  positively  declined  the  gift,  but,  on 
her  pressing  him,  he  accepted  it  with  hearty 
thanks. 

Evening  was  now  drawing  in,  and  O-Katsu  pre- 
pared to  take  her  departure  with  Hisamatsu,  O- 
Some,  and  the  maid.  But  she  was  afraid  that  if 
the  young  couple  were  to  go  back  together  at 
night,  it  might  give  a  handle  to  gossip.  It  was 
therefore  decided  that  Hisamatsu  should  return 
by  land,  and  O-Some  by  river. 

The  party  all  went  together  as  far  as  the  ferry, 
where  Hisamatsu  took  a  palanquin,  and  O-Katsu 
and  the  girls  boarded  a  boat.  Kyusaku  and  0- 
Mitsu  accompanied  the  party  to  the  ferry.  They 
stood  on  the  bank  and,  as  the  boat  and  the  palan- 
quin receded  from  their  sight,  they  called,  "Fare- 
well, Hisamatsu."  "Farewell,  O-Some  San!" 
and  they  were  delighted  to  see  handkerchiefs 
waved  from  the  palanquin  and  the  boat,  in 
response. 

The  two  wistfully  remained  there,  until  at  last 
they  lost  sight  of  the  palanquin  and  the  boat. 


Ill 


THE  time  passed  on,  and  the  love  between  Hisa- 
matsu  and  O-Som6  became  more  and  more  intense; 
and  many  weeks  had  not  passed  before  O-Some's 
health  became  delicate.  The  prospects  of  their 
future  filled  them  with  anxiety.  When  the  widow 
perceived  her  daughter's  condition,  she  was 
inclined  to  wed  the  young  couple.  But  as  her 
circumstances  had  not  in  any  way  improved,  she 
dared  not  withdraw  her  promise  to  Sashiro  on 
the 'ground  of  0- Some's  disinclination.  Sashiro 
in  the  meantime  was  becoming  impatient  at  the 
delay  in  his  go-between's  negotiations. 

One  day  he  called  in  person  at  the  oil-shop,  and 
urged  the  widow  to  make  immediate  arrangements 
for  his  marriage  with  0-Som6. 

The  widow  was  in  a  dilemma,  but  she  hit  upon 
a  cunning  idea.  She  summoned  O-Some  to  her 
room,  and  told  her  that  as  she  owed  Sashiro's 
father  a  large  sum  of  money,  it  was  impossible 
for  her  to  withdraw  her  promise.  So  that  if  she 

147 


i48  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

wished  to  save  her  mother  from  embarrassment 
she  must  marry  him,  even  if  it  were  against  her 
will.  But  it  would  not  be  necessary  for  her  to 
stay  long  in  the  home  of  Sashiro,  for  whom  she 
had  no  affection.  She  was  at  liberty  to  come  back 
any  time  after  a  week  or  two.  All  she  need  do 
was  to  go  once  to  Sashiro's  house  as  his  bride. 
The  mother  would  then  have  kept  her  promise 
even  though  the  daughter  would  soon  forsake  the 
bridegroom.  The  mother  so  earnestly,  and  with 
tears,  begged  her  to  yield,  that  O-Some  was  obliged 
to  give  her  consent.  But  it  was  impossible  for  so 
pure  and  innocent  a  maiden  to  do  such  a  perfidious 
deed.  She  therefore  made  up  her  mind  to  give 
up  her  life  for  her  love.  When  Hisamatsu  heard 
of  her  determination  he  made  up  his  mind  to  do 
the  same. 

At  this  juncture  an  unexpected  event,  which  bid 
fair  to  revolutionize  Hisamatsu's  life,  took  place. 
It  was  as  follows.  Kyusaku's  sister  O-Sho,  who 
had  been  nurse  to  Hisamatsu  had,  after  many  long 
years'  persistent  search,  succeeded  in  restoring  the 
Yoshimitsu  blade,  the  loss  of  which  had  caused 
the  death  of  Hisamatsu's  father  and  the  ruin  of 
his  house.  If  the  sword  should  be  presented  to 


0-SOME  AND  HISAMATSU  149 

the  prince  of  the  Ishizu  Clan,  Hisamatsu's  house 
would  be  restored,  and  he  himself  would  succeed 
to  his  father's  estate  and  be  made  a  samurai. 

The  loyal  O-Sho  called  at  the  oil-shop  and  met 
Hisamatsu.  She  told  him  her  glad  news,  and 
eagerly  talked  of  the  good  future  that  lay  in  wait 
for  him.  He  would  rise  with  one  bound  from  the 
lowly  position  of  a  mere  clerk  to  that  of  a  samurai. 
The  old  woman's  son  was  at  that  time  visiting  the 
oil-shop,  and  was  greatly  delighted  to  hear  the 
news.  The  mother  and  son  urged  Hisamatsu  to 
leave  that  day  with  them  for  the  Ishizu  Clan, 
which  he  reluctantly  did.  He  fully  appreciated 
his  old  nurse's  loyalty  and  kindness.  He  also 
knew  that  it  was  his  bounden  duty  to  succeed 
to  his  father's  estate,  and  that  it  was  an  honour 
and  glory  for  a  man  to  serve  a  daimyo  as  a  samurai. 
But  he  could  not  help  thinking  of  his  sweetheart, 
who  had  determined  to  kill  herself.  It  would  be 
faithless  of  him  to  desert  her  at  such  a  time,  and 
selfishly  enjoy  such  an  honour,  immediately  after 
her  death.  In  his  eye,  titles  and  emoluments, 
honour  and  glory  were  now  nothing  to  him.  He 
must  keep  his  promise  to  O-Some  to  the  end. 

Whilst  they  were  on  their  way  to  the  Ishizu 


150  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Clan,  Hisamatsu  forsook  his  fellow  travellers  un- 
known to  them,  and  retraced  his  steps  to  the 
oil-shop.  When  he  arrived,  it  was  midnight,  so 
he  climbed  over  the  wall  into  the  courtyard. 
Suddenly  he  was  startled  to  hear  the  sound  of 
footsteps  approaching,  so  he  hastily  hid  himself 
in  the  warehouse  close  by.  The  black-hearted 
Kosuke  had  observed  him;  so  creeping  stealthily 
up,  the  ruffian  rapidly  shut  and  locked  the  door 
of  the  warehouse,  and  Hisamatsu  was  "caged  like 
a  bird"  inside. 

It  seemed  as  if  some  divine  intuition  told  O- 
Some  of  this  incident.  She  seized  a  lantern,  and 
ran  out  into  the  courtyard.  Hisamatsu  saw  her 
from  the  window  of  the  warehouse. 

"Is  it  you,  dearest  0-Some?"  he  exclaimed  in- 
voluntarily. 

"Oh,  Hisamatsu!"  cried  she  looking  up.  "I 
cannot  hope  ever  to  become  your  wife  in  this 
world.  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  kill  myself, 
according  to  our  promise.  Do  not  fail,  I  implore 
you,  to  join  me  in  my  determination."  With  these 
words,  she  buried  a  dagger  in  her  throat. 

"My  God!"  exclaimed  Hisamatsu,  in  amaze- 
ment. He  struggled  with  all  his  power  to  break 


0-SOME  AND  HISAMATSU  151 

the  bars  of  the  window,  with  the  intention  of 
leaping  down  to  her  rescue ;  but  all  his  efforts  were 
in  vain.  Mad  with  grief  and  despair,  he  unsheathed 
a  sword  which  he  was  wearing,  and  thrust  it  into 
his  side.  In  a  few  moments  the  devoted  lovers 
had  both  breathed  their  last. 


TKe  Battle  of  IcKi-no-tani 

From 

The  Ichi»no>tani  Futaba  Gunki 

By 
NamiKi  Sos\iKe 


THe  Battle  of  IcHi-no-tani 

I 

[BOUT  eight  hundred  years  ago,  a 
fierce  war  was  waged  between  the 
two  great  clans,  the  Tairas  and  the 
Minamotos.  The  balance  of  fortune 
swayed  some  years  towards  the  former  family, 
and  other  years  towards  the  latter.  The  stronger 
always  ruled  Japan  with  the  reigning  Emperor  on 
their  side.  The  Tairas,  who  had  predominated 
for  the  previous  twenty-five  years,  were  at  last 
driven  out  of  Kyoto  by  the  Minamotos.  Kyoto 
was  then  the  Imperial  capital,  and  the  expelled 
clan  had  been  forced  to  take  refuge  in  far-off 
Kyushu.  Afterwards  they  regained  some  of  their 
pristine  power,  and  came  back  to  the  province  of 
Settsu.  They  formed  a  strong  camp  at  Ichi- 
no-tani,  a  village  on  the  shores  of  the  Inland  Sea, 
about  fifty  miles  to  the  south-west  of  the  metrop- 
olis. Nevertheless  they  were  hardly  in  the  posi- 
tion to  make  headway  against  the  Minamotos. 


156  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Yoritomo,  the  chieftain  of  the  Minamoto  clan, 
had  a  younger  brother,  named  Yoshitsune.  This 
warrior  was  at  the  head  of  the  Minamoto  troops 
stationed  at  Kyoto.  Yoritomo  ordered  him  to 
proceed  to  Ichi-no-tani  to  give  the  Tairas  the 
coup  de  grace. 

Yoshitsune  was  not  only  a  brave  and  sa- 
gacious general,  but  also  a  man  of  humane 
character.  His  father  Yoshitomo  had  been 
put  to  death,  and  several  of  his  brothers  had 
been  either  killed  or  cruelly  persecuted  by  the 
Tairas.  Notwithstanding  this,  he  entertained 
no  little  sympathy  and  compassion  toward  the 
hostile  clan. 

During  that  time,  the  celebrated  poet-laureate, 
Lord  Shunzei'  was  living.  One  of  his  best  pupils 
was  a  brave  warrior  named  Taira-no-Tadanori, 
and  many  excellent  poems  were  found  among  his 
compositions.  He  had  fled  from  Kyoto  with  the 
rest  of  the  Taira  family  and  was  now  in  the  camp 
at  Ichi-no-tani.  He  reflected,  one  day,  that  there 
was  no  possibility  of  his  clan's  winning  a  victory 
in  the  forthcoming  battle.  He  was  sure  that  they 
were  doomed  to  destruction.  If  he  could  only 
be  successful  in  gaining  the  honour  of  having  one 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       157 

of  his  poems  included  in  the  Senzai-Shu  or  "An- 
thology for  a  Thousand  Years,"  which  his  master 
was  then  collecting  at  the  ex-Emperor's  Go- 
Shirakawa's  command,  he  should  never  regret 
falling  in  battle.  With  this  determination  he 
went  stealthily  back  to  Kyoto.  When  he  arrived 
there,  he  called  on  Shunzei,  and  applied  for 
the  privilege  of  presenting  a  number  of  his  best 
productions. 

The  poet  expressed  his  hearty  sympathy,  and 
promised  to  think  the  matter  over.  After  this 
Tadanori  retraced  his  steps  towards  Ichi-no-tani. 
Shunzei  did  indeed  fully  recognize  Tadanori' s 
poetic  talent.  He  thought  that  some  of  his  poems 
deserved  a  place  in  the  anthology.  He  could  not 
help  remembering,  however,  that  as  the  Mina- 
motos,  the  mortal  enemies  of  the  Tairas,  were  in 
the  political  ascendancy,  and  the  latter  had  been 
declared  "rebels,"  it  might  possibly  offend  the 
Minamotos  if  he  were  to  grant  Tadanori's  request. 
Shunzei,  therefore,  thought  it  prudent  to  ask 
Yoshitsune's  opinion  concerning  the  matter,  and 
accordingly,  he  sent  his  daughter  Kikuno-Maye" 
on  the  mission. 

Yoshitsune  received  from  the  young  lady  the 


158  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

tanzaku1  inscribed  with  one  of  Tadanori's  master- 
pieces which  read : 

"  Deep  under  weeds  in  ruin  piled, 

Shiga's  imperial  towers  decay; 
The  lake's  shores  washed  by  wavelets  mild 

With  saddening  murmur,  night  and  day ; 
But  the  wild  cherry-trees  of  yore, 

That  decked  the  royal  pleasance  fair, 
And  witnessed  grandeur  seen  no  more, 

Still  bloom  in  dazzling  beauty  rare." 

The  hero  was  struck  with  admiration  at  the 
poem.  He  said  to  Kikuno-Maye: 

"I  have  no  objection  to  inserting  such  an  excel- 
lent poem  in  the  Senzai-Shti ,  my  young  lady. 
But  there  is  a  little  matter  I  must  think  over 
before  I  can  give  any  definite  answer.  Kindly 
leave  this  tanzaku  with  me.  I  will  send  my  answer 
to  both  of  you  and  Sir  Tadanori,  before  long." 

Taira-no-Atsumori  was  an  extremely  handsome 
and  refined  young  nobleman,  sixteen  years  of  age. 
His  mother  Fuji-no-Kata  had  been  an  inmate  of 
the  ex-Emperor  Go-Shirakawa's  harem.  While 
she  was  in  his  service,  her  health  had  become  deli- 

1  A  tanzaku  is  an  artistically  prepared  strip  of  moderately 
heavy  paper,  about  two  inches  wide  and  twelve  inches  long, 
designed  for  the  inditing  of  a  short  poem. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       159 

cate.  Notwithstanding  this,  Go-Shirakawa  had 
married  her  to  his  councillor  Taira-no-Tsunemori. 
Soon  after,  her  son  Atsumori  was  born  to  her. 
Therefore,  though  Atsumori  had  been  brought 
up  as  Tsunemori's  son,  he  was,  in  reality,  an  Impe- 
rial Prince.  Yoshitsune  was  well  aware  of  these 
circumstances,  and  thought  of  sparing  the  young 
nobleman's  life  in  the  impending  battle,  in  some 
secret  way  or  other. 

The  day  came  for  Yoshitsune  to  set  out  on  his 
march  against  the  Tairas'  camp.  A  large  num- 
ber of  officers  and  men,  clad  in  shining  armour, 
gathered  together  at  his  headquarters.  Yoshi- 
tsune summoned  to  his  presence  two  brave  officers, 
Kumagai  Noazane  and  Okabe  Rokuyata.  He 
then  tied  Tadanori's  tanzaku  to  a  branch  of  cherry- 
blossoms,  which  was  arranged  in  a  vase  on  the 
tokonoma  or  alcove,  and  addressed  Rokuyata  in 
these  words: 

"Before  our  army  reaches  Ichi-no-tani,  you 
will  go  ahead  and  meet  Taira-no-Tadanori,  and 
tell  him  that  his  poem  will  be  included  in  the  Senzai- 
Shu,  in  compliance  with  his  request.  He  is,  how- 
ever, one  of  the  so-called  'rebels,'  so  we  cannot 
attach  his  name  to  it.  It  shall  be  registered  as 


i6o  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

'anonymous.'  Present  him  with  this  branch  of 
cherry-blossoms,  tied  with  his  tanzaku,  and  tell 
him  that  it  signifies  my  acceptance  of  his  poem. 
Don't  fail  to  obey  me,  Rokuyata." 

Yoshitsune  then  produced  a  notice  board. 

"As  you  observe,"  he  said  to  Naozan6,  "this 
notice  reads:  'It  is  strictly  prohibited  to  injure 
the  cherry-blossoms.  Any  person  breaking  off 
one  branch,  shall  be  punished  by  having  one  of 
his  fingers  cut  off.'  I  love  and  admire  cherry- 
blossoms  more  than  I  can  say.  I  have  been  told, 
that  there  are  many  beautiful  cherry-trees  at  Ichi- 
no-tani,  and  I  order  you  to  set  up  this  notice  board 
under  the  cherry-trees  before  Atsumori's  camp, 
and  to  take  special  care  of  them.  I  am  sure, 
Naozan6,  that  you  fully  understand  my  meaning. 
I  am  of  the  firm  opinion  that  only  a  man  of  your 
thoughtfulness  and  mercy  is  equal  to  this  task." 

"I  understand,  my  lord,"  was  Naozane's  reply. 
"I  shall  carry  out  your  orders  to  the  best  of  my 
ability." 

Yoshitsune's  command  to  Naozan6  was  a  poetic 
conundrum,  signifying  that  Atsumori,  who  might 
well  be  likened  unto  beautiful  cherry-blossoms, 
should  not  be  scattered  to  death  by  the  storm  of 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       161 

battle.  It  was  impossible  for  Yoshitsune  openly 
to  give  the  order  to  Naozane,  because  Atsumori 
was  one  of  the  enemy.  But  Naozan6  readily  took 
his  hint,  and  made  up  his  mind  to  spare  the  young 
nobleman's  life.  He  had  served  the  ex-Emperor 
sixteen  years  before.  His  wife,  Sagami,  had 
served  Fuji-no-Kata  as  maid-of-honour,  while 
the  latter  was  still  in  Go-Shirakawa's  harem,  and 
both  had  received  favours  from  Fuji-no-Kata. 
Therefore  Noazan6  determined  to  save  Atsumori, 
at  any  cost,  to  requite  his  former  master's  kindness. 
it 


II 

IN  the  village  of  Ubara,  in  the  province  of  Settsu, 
lived  an  old  woman  named  Hayashi.  She  was 
formerly  the  wife  of  a  certain  Taira  samurai. 
After  her  husband  had  run  away,  and  his  where- 
abouts become  unknown,  she  entered  the  service 
of  the  poet  Shunzei,  and  became  nurse  to  his  daugh- 
ter Kikuno-Maye1.  When  her  charge  grew  to  be 
a  young  woman,  Hayashi  left  her  position  and 
retired  to  her  village.  There  she  was  now  leading 
a  lonely  life. 

One  evening,  a  belated  traveller  knocked  at  her 
door  and  asked  her  to  give  him  shelter  for  the 
night.  She  granted  his  request,  and  both  were 
pleasantly  surprised  to  find  that  they  were  old 
friends.  He  proved  to  be  none  other  than  Taira- 
no-Tadanori  on  his  way  back  to  Ichi-no-tani  from 
calling  on  his  master  Lord  Shunzei.  Hayashi 
welcomed  him  heartily,  and  they  chatted  about 
what  had  happened  to  them  since  they  had  last 
met. 

"Well,"  she  said  with  sighs,  "I  have  heard  of 
162 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       163 

your  relations  with  Lady  Kikuno-Maye.  If  it  had 
not  been  for  the  war  between  the  Tairas  and  the 
Minamotos,  your  marriage  would  have  already 
taken  place.  My  hearty  sympathy  is  with  you!" 

Shortly  afterwards,  Tadanori  retired  into  an 
inner  room  to  rest  for  the  night.  When  the  hours 
were  advanced,  a  violent  storm  broke  out,  in  the 
midst  of  which  was  heard  a  hard  knocking  at  the 
gate. 

Hayashi  awoke.     "Who  is  there?"  she  cried. 

"It  is  I — Kikuno-Maye,  my  nurse.  Excuse 
my  disturbing  your  sleep." 

When  she  heard  the  answer,  the  old  woman 
leaped  down  to  the  courtyard,  and  opened  the 
door. 

"I  am  glad  to  see  you,"  she  said  in  tones  of 
wonder.  "How  is  it  that  you  have  come  here 
alone  through  the  storm  at  midnight?" 

The  girl  wept.  "Well,"  she  said,  "I  have 
walked  so  far  in  pursuit  of  Lord  Tadanori.  Alas! 
I  have  been  unable  to  overtake  him.  I  don't 
know  this  neighbourhood  well,  so  I  have  been 
wandering  here  and  there  in  the  darkness.  It 
became  late,  and  I  had  lost  my  way.  However, 
with  great  difficulty  I  at  last  found  my  way  to 


164  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

your  house.  Now  I  cannot  hope  to  overtake 
Lord  Tadanori.  What  shall  I  do?  " 

"Be  of  good  cheer,  my  lady.  Lord  Tadanori 
came  here  some  while  ago,  and  is  still  within." 

"Is  that  true?  I  am  very  glad!  Please  let 
me  see  him  quickly." 

"Lord  Tadanori  is  resting  in  the  inner  room. 
You  can  go  and  see  him  yourself." 

Kikuno-May6  went  joyfully  into  the  room. 

Shortly  afterwards  a  noise  was  heard  within, 
and  Kikuno-May6  rushed  out  in  tears.  Hayashi 
was  wonder-struck,  and  asked  the  reason.  The 
girl  explained  that  Tadanori  had  unkindly  pro- 
posed that  she  should  give  him  up,  and  return  to 
her  father's  house.  This  filled  her  with  sorrow 
and  anger.  The  old  woman  vainly  tried  to  soothe 
her.  She  wept  unceasingly,  and  complained  that 
her  lover  was  cold-hearted.  At  that  moment 
Tadanori  came  in. 

"I  fear  that  I  seem  unkind/'  he  said,  "but  I 
assure  you  that  it  is  entirely  for  your  sake,  and 
for  your  father's,  dear  Kikuno-Maye.  The  Tairas 
are  sure  to  be  defeated  in  the  coming  battle,  and 
I  shall  die  in  the  fray.  I  am,  therefore,  convinced 
that  you  had  better  give  me  up,  and  return  to  your 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       165 

home  as  soon  as  possible.  I  owe  your  father  a 
very  great  deal,  so  if  I  take  you  with  me,  I  am 
sure  he  will  be  suspected  of  taking  sides  with  the 
Tairas,  and  then  who  can  tell  what  punishment 
may  befall  him.  I  can't  bear  the  thought  of  my 
benefactor  suffering  on  my  account.  Weigh  these 
reasons  well,  and  return  home  for  your  father's, 
your  own,  and  my  sake.  Frankly,  I  do  not  like 
to  part  from  you,  but  there  is  no  help  for  it. 
Please  control  your  emotion,  and  listen  to  reason. 
I  urge  you  to  follow  my  advice." 

"Oh,  no!"  she  sobbed,  clutching  his  sleeve, 
"how  can  I  part  from  you  when  you  are  going  to 
fight  to  the  death?  I  will  accompany  you  wher- 
ever you  go.  I  swear  I  will  never  give  you  up. 
Permit  me  to  share  your  lot  in  life  or  in  death, 
my  dear  Lord  Tadanori." 

Tadanori  was  at  a  loss  to  know  how  to  deal  with 
Kikuno-Maye,  and  Hayashi  was  equally  puzzled 
how  to  comfort  her. 

At  this  moment  the  sound  of  war-cries  was 
wafted  in  by  the  wind.  A  little  later  the  sound 
was  followed  by  the  random  beating  of  bells  and 
drums.  A  party  of  soldiers  appeared  on  the  scene 
and  their  captain  rushed  up  to  the  gate. 


166  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

"Open!"  he  cried  aloud.  "I,  Kajiwara  Kage- 
taka,  have  had  secret  information  that  Taira-no- 
Tadanori  is  hiding  in  this  house,  and  have  come 
to  take  him  prisoner.  My  troops  have  completely 
surrounded  the  dwelling,  and  there  is  no  means  of 
escape.  I  order  him,  therefore,  to  come  out  and 
become  my  prisoner  peacefully." 

Tadanori  was  not  at  all  frightened.  He  bade 
Kikuno-Maye  and  Hayashi  keep  within,  and  un- 
sheathed his  great  sword. 

"Pooh,  Kagetaka!"  he  sneered,  "your  mean- 
ness and  cowardice  are  past  belief !  Why  did  you 
not  proceed  to  the  battlefield  instead  of  surround- 
ing me  with  so  many  troops  when  I  am  alone?  I 
am  not  such  a  weakling  as  to  allow  myself  to  be 
easily  caught  by  you!  Approach,  and  I  will  show 
you  in  what  direction  my  abilities  lie!" 

So  crying,  the  hero  threw  himself  among  the 
foes  and  fought  desperately,  now  cutting  and 
kicking,  and  then  trampling  on  them.  The  latter 
were  seized  with  fear,  and  retreated  one  after 
another.  Kagetaka  was  also,  in  spite  of  his  threat- 
ening attitude,  seized  with  fear,  and  took  to  his 
heels. 

Tadanori   paused   to   take   breath,   and   soon 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       167 

afterwards  the  sound  of  bells  and  drums  and  war- 
cries  was  again  heard. 

"Confound  it!"  he  said  to  himself,  sighing 
deeply.  "Kagetaka  must  be  coming  again  with 
a  large  army.  If  I  were  on  the  battle-field,  I 
should  not  fear  even  thousands  of  foes,  but  how 
can  I  defend  myself  against  such  a  large  force 
when  I  am  in  so  small  a  house?  Alas!  on  the  one 
hand  I  am  not  certain  whether  I  shall  ever  realize 
my  dearest  wish  concerning  my  poem ;  on  the  other, 
it  seems  that  I  am  to  die  an  inglorious  death  at  the 
hands  of  a  craven  fellow!  It  is  a  pity  beyond 
expression!" 

Presently  a  warrior  of  commanding  appearance 
came  in  sight.  He  was  not  in  armour,  as  had 
been  expected,  but  in  full  dress.  This  consisted 
of  a  suho,  a  daimon,  and  a  nagabakama.  He  was 
none  other  than  Okabe  Rokuyata,  an  officer  of 
General  Yoshitsune,  who  was  referred  to  in  the 
opening  chapter.  He  saluted  Tadanori  politely, 
and  with  much  grace. 

"I  am  delighted  to  see  you,  Lord  Tadanori," 
he  began.  "As  the  coming  battle  is  to  be  fought 
in  order  to  decide  the  destiny  of  the  Tairas  and 
the  Minamotos,  we  ought  to  fight  openly  on  the 


168  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

battle-field.  General  Yoshitsune  is,  therefore,  ex- 
tremely sorry  to  hear  of  Kajiwara  Kagetaka's 
mean  deed  in  privately  attacking  you  when  you 
were  in  your  defenceless  condition.  But  now, 
as  to  my  message.  General  Yoshitsun6  admired 
your  poem,  selected  by  Lord  Shunzei,  very  much. 
In  accordance  with  your  desire,  he  has  ordered 
it  to  be  included  in  the  Senzai-Shu.  But  unfor- 
tunately you  are  branded  as  a  'rebel.'  It  is 
therefore  considered  improper  that  you  should  give 
your  name,  so  your  poem  is  inserted  as  'anony- 
mous.' " — With  these  words  he  offered  Tadanori 
the  tanzaku  tied  to  a  branch  of  cherry-blos- 
soms.— "Here  is  a  proof  of  the  fact.  General 
Yoshitsun6  begs  to  present  this  to  you,  sir." 

When  Tadanori  heard  the  news,  his  joy  knew 
no  bounds.  He  received  the  tanzaku  with  great 
reverence. 

"I  accept  this  gift,"  he  said,  "from  General 
Yoshitsune,  and  am  deeply  grateful." 

"To  speak  frankly,"  continued  Tadanori,  "I 
feared  that  my  poem  would  probably  be  rejected 
from  motives  of  hostility.  It  has  been  accepted, 
however,  through  the  sympathy  and  magnanimity 
of  General  Yoshitsune.  This  is  the  greatest 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       169 

honour  that  could  possibly  be  given  me.  My 
great  wish  is  attained,  so  I  have  nothing  else  to 
desire  in  this  life.  Taking  into  consideration  that 
my  days  are  numbered,  I  prefer  being  taken 
captive  by  you,  an  illustrious  hero,  to  dying  a  dis- 
graceful death  at  the  hands  of  unknown  soldiers" 
— he  put  his  hands  behind  his  back — "You  are 
at  liberty  to  bind  me,  sir." 

"No,  no,"  answered  Rokuyata  laughing,  "I 
haven't  come  to  arrest  you.  Shall  we  not  fight 
each  other  on  the  battle-field?  Do  you  think  I 
am  as  mean  a  coward  as  Kagetaka?" 

"Excuse  my  thoughtless  words.  Your  gener- 
osity and  that  of  General  Yoshitsune  overwhelm 
me  indeed.  You  are  both  noble  samurai" 

At  this  moment,  the  crowing  of  cocks  pro- 
claimed the  dawn.  Rokuyata  rose  to  his  feet. 

"It  will  soon  be  morning,"  he  said.  "If  you 
walk  alone  towards  Ichi-no-tani,  you  may  en- 
counter further  trouble.  I  shall  conduct  you  to 
the  camp.  Please  be  in  readiness." 

Rokuyata  gave  orders  to  his  soldiers,  who 
brought  before  Tadanori  a  beautifully  caparisoned 
steed,  which  had  been  brought  for  the  purpose. 
Tadanori  thanked  him  warmly,  and  without  a 


iyo  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

moment's  hesitation  seized  the  horse's  mane,  and 
sprang  upon  its  back. 

Kikuno-Maye,  who  had  been  listening  to  all 
this,  thought  that  this  was  the  last  moment  she 
would  ever  see  her  lover.  She  ran  out.  "Wait 
one  moment,  Lord  Tadanori,"  she  cried. 

Hayashi  stood  in  front  of  her,  and  tried  to 
conceal  her.  Rokuyata  instantly  perceived  the 
truth.  He  cut  off  the  right  sleeve  of  Tadanori's 
robe,  and  handed  it  to  the  old  woman.  "I  beg," 
said  he,  "to  offer  you  this  in  acknowledgment  of 
your  having  kindly  lodged  Lord  Tadanori.  If 
you  find  it  of  no  use  to  yourself,  please  give  it  to 
anybody  else  who  may  desire  it,  madame." 

This  was  intended  as  a  hint  that  the  sleeve  was 
for  Kikuno-Maye,  as  a  memento  of  her  lover. 
The  passionate  girl  almost  burst  into  tears  of 
gratitude.  Tadanori  carrying  the  branch  of  cherry- 
blossoms  on  his  back,  set  out  on  his  journey 
guarded  by  Rokuyata  and  his  troops;  but  his 
heart  remained  with  his  sweetheart. 


A  few  days  later,  Yoshitsune's  army  arrived  at 
Ichi-no-tani,  and  a  decisive  battle  was  fought 


•I 
§ 

01 

s 


o 

•3 

ii 
^ 

^ 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       171 

between  the  two  clans,  in  which  the  Tairas  were 
completely  defeated.  During  the  first  part  of 
the  battle  Tadanori  fought  with  great  courage, 
and  an  entire  company  of  the  Minamotos'  army 
began  to  give  way  before  his  mighty  strokes. 
Suddenly  a  brave  officer  rushed  to  rally  the  waver- 
ing troops.  It  proved  to  be  Rokuyata,  who  de- 
clared his  name  and  challenged  Tadanori  to  single 
combat. 

"I  am  extremely  glad  to  meet  you  here  on  the 
battle-field,  Sir  Okabe,"  replied  Tadanori.  "A 
thousand  thanks  for  your  kindness  the  other  day. 
I  take  great  pleasure  in  accepting  your  challenge." 

They  fought  violently  for  a  good  while,  but  as 
they  were  evenly  matched  in  fencing,  they  arrived 
at  no  result.  They  then  threw  down  their  weap- 
ons, alighted  from  their  horses,  and  closed  with 
each  other.  At  last  Tadanori,  who  possessed 
greater  muscular  strength,  threw  Rokuyata  down, 
and  held  him  at  his  mercy;  but  he  hesitated  to 
kill  his  benefactor.  At  this  moment  one  of  Roku- 
yata's  retainers  ran  to  his  rescue,  and  with  one 
blow  cut  off  Tadanori's  right  arm.  Tadanori 
begged  Rokuyata  to  kill  him  immediately ;  where- 
upon Rokuyata  burst  into  tears  of  sympathy,  and 


172  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

reluctantly  struck  off  his  head.  He  then  proceeded 
to  carefully  examine  the  hero's  person  in  the  hope 
of  finding  something  in  the  way  of  a  written  will. 
Instead  of  this,  however,  he  found  in  his  pocket  a 
tanzaku  with  the  following  poem : 

"  By  darkness  overta'en  and  spent, 

Sore,  sore,  forspent  and  travelworn 
The  cherry-trees  their  shelter  lent, 

A  refuge  sweet  to  me  forlorn. 
As  hosts  and  friends  their  blossoms  fair 
To-night  will  solace  all  my  care." 

He  was  struck  with  the  great  beauty  of  the 
poem,  and  filled  with  admiration  for  Tadanori, 
because  he  had  kept  his  poetic  mood  even  in  the 
midst  of  war.  He  afterwards  kindly  sent  the 
tanzaku  to  Lord  Shunzei. 

This  poem  is  still  famous.  It  is  familiar  to 
every  Japanese  as  the  hero's  masterpiece. 


Ill 


ATSUMORI,  his  foster-father  Tsunemori,  and  his 
mother  Fuji-no-Kata,  who  had  shared  the  lot  of 
the  rest  of  the  Taira  clan,  were  now  living  at  a 
temporary  residence  at  Fukuhara,  not  far  from 
Ichi-no-tani. 

Tsunemori  had  an  adopted  daughter.  Her 
name  was  Tamaori,  and  she  was  a  beautiful 
damsel,  fifteen  years  of  age.  He  and  his  wife 
had  brought  her  up  from  childhood.  They  loved 
her  dearly,  and  intended  her  for  Atsumori's 
wife. 

The  girl's  real  father,  Tokitada,  was  a  Taira. 
He  was  a  mean  man,  and  had  early  deserted  the 
Taira  clan  whose  fortunes  were  on  the  wane,  and 
had  gone  over  to  the  Minamoto  clan,  which  was 
rising  in  importance.  Now  that  the  Tairas  were 
on  the  verge  of  ruin,  Tokitada  had  decided  to  take 
Tamaori  back  from  Tsun6mori's  hands  in  order 
to  marry  her  to  Hirayama  Suyeshige,  a  samurai 
belonging  to  the  Minamoto  clan,  in  accordance 
with  the  latter's  earnest  proposal.  He  therefore 

173 


174  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

sent  a  samurai  and  two  footmen  to  Tsunemori's 
residence,  to  secure  the  restoration  of  his  daughter. 

When  the  message  arrived,  Tsunemori  and 
Fuji-no-Kata  were  both  astonished  and  angry. 

At  last  they  resigned  themselves  to  the  un- 
reasonable demand,  and  told  the  messenger  to 
take  Tamaori  with  him  at  once.  The  man  caught 
the  girl  by  the  hand,  and  proceeded  to  place  her 
in  a  palanquin  which  had  been  brought  for  the 
purpose.  Suddenly  she  snatched  his  sword  from 
him,  and  quick  as  lightning  cut  his  shoulder.  He 
fell  to  the  ground  with  a  groan.  She  sprang  at 
him,  and  stabbed  him  in  the  throat,  and  he  died 
immediately.  When  the  footmen  saw  this  sight 
they  took  to  their  heels. 

Tsunemori  and  Fuji-no-Kata  were  struck  with 
astonishment  and  admiration  at  Tamaori's  brave 
deed.  Insomuch  as  the  girl  had  proved  her 
devotedness  and  firm  resolve,  they  thought  it  was 
their  duty  to  marry  her  to  Atsumori,  as  soon  as 
possible. 

To  Tamaori's  boundless  joy,  they  immediately 
made  the  young  couple  exchange  cups  of  marriage. 

After  the  ceremony  was  over,  Tsunemori  re- 
spectfully prostrated  himself  before  Atsumori. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       175 

"Lord  Atsumori,"  he  said,  with  tears  in  his 
voice,  "you  may  have  heard  that  you  are  not  my 
son,  but  the  son  of  His  Majesty  the  ex-Emperor. 
His  Majesty,  I  am  sure,  has  been  very  anxious 
about  your  safety  since  the  outbreak  of  the  pres- 
ent war !  I  think  you  had  better  go  back  at  once 
to  Kyoto,  with  your  mother  and  Tamaori,  and 
call  on  your  Imperial  father  as  soon  as  arrange- 
ments can  be  made.  Your  filial  duty  demands 
this  of  you,  I  am  sure.  Pray  make  immediate 
preparations  for  your  journey,  Lord  Atsumori." 

A  look  of  amazement  came  over  Atsumori's 
face. 

"Oh,  no,  my  dear  father!"  he  replied.  "I  may 
be  the  ex-Emperor's  son,  but  you  have  brought  me 
up  since  my  birth.  Your  kindness  to  me  is  higher 
than  the  mountain,  and  deeper  than  the  sea! 
How  can  I  forsake  my  father,  and  take  refuge  in  a 
place  of  safety,  when  the  Tairas  are  on  the  eve 
of  destruction  ?  Nothing  is  further  from  my  mind. 
Please  allow  me  to  accompany  you  to  battle  in 
some  capacity  or  another,  and  share  your  lot,  my 
father." 

"It  would  seem  at  first  that  you  are  right  in 
saying  so.  But  you  must  remember  that  one's 


176  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

duty  to  one's  father  is  far  greater  than  one's  duty 
to  one's  foster-father.  This  is  even  greater  when 
your  father  is  an  Emperor," — Tsun6mori  assumed 
a  look  of  firm  determination — "If  you  do  not  listen 
to  my  advice,  I  am  bound  to  commit  seppuku 
as  a  token  of  apology  to  His  Majesty  the  ex- 
Emperor." 

Hereupon  Atsumori  reluctantly  gave  his  consent, 
and  retired  into  an  inner  room  with  Fuji-no-Kata 
and  Tamaori,  saying  that  he  would  hasten  to  pre- 
pare himself  for  his  journey.  Tsunemori  was 
thus  freed  from  his  anxiety  regarding  his  family. 
He  therefore  made  up  his  mind  to  leave  for  the 
camp  at  Ichi-no-tani.  At  that  moment  a  messen- 
ger came  from  the  headquarters,  urging  him  to 
go  there  without  any  delay.  He  wished  with 
great  thoughtfulness  to  save  his  family  from  un- 
necessary tears,  so  he  departed  with  the  messen- 
ger without  so  much  as  bidding  them  farewell. 

Fuji-no-Kata  was  quite  unaware  of  this,  and 
shortly  afterwards  returned  to  the  parlour  for  a 
few  minutes'  farewell  talk  with  her  husband. 
But  she  was  surprised  and  disappointed  to  find 
that  he  was  not  there. 

"Alas!"   cried   she.     "Lord   Tsunemori   must 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       177 

have  gone  to  the  battle  without  telling  us!     Oh, 
what  shall  I  do?    What  shall  I  do?" 

Tamaori,  hearing  her  cries,  rushed  in.  They 
both  looked  at  each  other  in  amazement  and 
sorrow.  Suddenly  a  loud  neigh  and  a  clattering 
of  hoofs  were  heard. 

The  next  moment  Atsumori  appeared  on  horse- 
back, clad  in  red  armour,  and  carrying  a  bow  and 
arrows.  On  seeing  him,  Tamaori  took  a  halberd 
down  from  the  wall. 

"Farewell,  mother!"  she  said,  springing  down 
into  the  courtyard  and  standing  beside  Atsumori's 
horse. 

"I  cannot  understand  this,"  said  Fuji-no-Kata 
to  Atsumori.  "What  is  the  meaning  of  your 
attire,  my  son?  Your  father  commanded  you 
to  return  to  the  Capital." 

"Yes,  that  is  so,"  replied  Atsumori,  bowing  his 
head.  "  But  all  the  Tairas  are  determined  to  fight 
to  the  last.  How,  then,  can  I  be  so  disloyal  as  to 
return  to  the  Capital  alone?  I  am  determined 
to  go  to  Ichi-no-tani,  and  die  a  warrior's  death." 

"Oh,  that  is  indeed  well  spoken!"  said  Fuji- 
no-Kata,  her  spirits  rising.     "Your  brave  words 
fill  me  with  delight !    You  are  indeed  my  son ! " 
ia 


178  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

"You  must  not  go  to  the  battle,  Tamaori," 
said  Atsumori,  "your  place  is  at  my  mother's 
side." 

"Your  words  are  unkind,  Atsumori  Sama !  We 
have  only  just  exchanged  our  marriage  cups, 
which  we  looked  forward  to  for  so  long.  Now 
you  are  going  to  battle,  and  wish  to  leave  me 
behind.  Wherever  you  go,  I  will  accompany  you. 
If  my  presence  is  a  trouble  to  you,  please  kill  me, 
and  then  go." 

So  saying,  she  caught  his  saddle,  clung  to  his 
stirrup,  and  wept  bitterly.  Fuji-no-Kata  was 
filled  with  compassion  for  her. 

"Atsumori,"  she  said,  "you  would  be  quite 
justified  in  taking  Tamaori  with  you.  As  you 
know,  all  the  Tairas  have  taken  their  wives  and 
children  with  them.  You  had  better  set  out  with 
her  immediately." 

Tamaori  was  overjoyed  to  hear  this,  and  caught 
Atsumori's  reins. 

Atsumori  found  that  it  was  now  impossible 
to  refuse  her  entreaty,  and  bade  her  follow 
him. 

"Farewell,  mother,"  he  cried  and  departed 
gallantly  for  Ichi-no-tani  with  his  bride. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       179 

Soon  afterwards  a  number  of  hostile  soldiers 
burst  into  the  house. 

"Our  Lord  Hirayama  has  sent  us,"  they  cried, 
"with  orders  to  carry  away  Lady  Tamaori.  De- 
liver her  to  us  at  once.  If  you  offer  the  slightest 
resistance,  you  shall  all  die!" 

Three  of  Fuji-no-Kata's  maids,  who  heard  these 
words,  burst  into  hearty  laughs.  "What  inso- 
lence!" they  retorted.  "How  can  we  deliver  you 
Lady  Tamaori?  She  has  just  been  married  to 
Lord  Atsumori.  Besides,  her  Ladyship  is  absent. 
Don't  waste  any  more  of  your  time  here,  or  you 
may  be  hurt.  You  had  better  go  quickly." 

When  they  had  spoken  this  warning,  they  as- 
sumed the  offensive.  One  of  them  brandished 
a  halberd,  another  produced  a  long  sword,  and 
the  third  drew  out  a  dagger.  The  soldiers  were 
filled  with  fear  at  the  skill  with  which  the  women 
wielded  their  weapons.  Some  of  them  were 
severely  wounded,  some  mortally,  and  the  rest 
took  to  flight. 

But  one  of  them,  who  was  evidently  their  com- 
mander, held  his  ground  and  fought  on  bravely. 
Then  Fuji-no-Kata  seized  her  bow  and,  fitting  an 
arrow,  sent  it  flying  with  a  loud  twang.  The  man 


i8o  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

immediately  fell  dead  with  a  thud,  shot  through 
the  heart.  Then  Fuji-no-Kata  departed  after  her 
son  towards  the  battlefield,  accompanied  by  her 
maids. 


IV 

THE  Tairas'  camp  extended  from  Ichi-no-tani 
on  the  west  to  Ikuta  on  the  east.  The  rear  of  the 
camp  was  protected  by  a  steep  cliff,  and  in  front 
of  it  stretched  the  seashore.  From  the  bluff  down 
to  the  beach,  the  position  was  fortified  with  a 
strong  stockade.  Over  it,  numerous  red  banners 
were  streaming  in  the  wind.  Atsumori  was 
guarding  one  important  post,  as  substitute  for 
his  foster-father  Tsun6mori. 

It  was  late  one  cold  windy  night.  The  moon 
shone  dimly.  Kojiro,  the  son  of  Kumagai  Nao- 
zane,  suddenly  appeared  in  front  of  the  gate  of 
Atsumori's  post.  The  young  warrior  had  forced 
his  way  hither,  spurred  on  by  the  ardent  ambition 
to  distinguish  himself  at  the  very  first  battle  he 
had  ever  joined  in.  He  had  come  along  narrow 
passes,  stumbling  over  stones,  and  entanglements 
of  roots.  As  he  desired  to  cut  his  way  into  the 
camp  before  any  comrade  of  his  followed  him,  he 
searched  and  searched  about  for  some  weak  point 
through  which  to  break.  This  was  of  no  avail. 

181 


1 82  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

At  that  moment  the  sound  of  a  flute  and  a  koto 
or  zither  was  heard  from  the  inner  part  of  the 
camp.  As  the  wind  had  abated,  and  the  waves 
subsided,  the  plaintive  yet  captivating  strains 
were  clearly  audible.  Kojiro  unconsciously  paused 
and  listened  intently  for  a  while.  "Those  people 
have  good  taste,"  he  thought  to  himself.  "My 
parents  told  me  that  all  the  Tairas  were  tender- 
hearted, refined  nobles.  I  find  now  that  their 
words  were  not  in  any  way  exaggerated.  The 
Tairas'  refinement  must  be  great  for  they  keep 
quiet  to-night  on  the  eve  of  battle,  and  enjoy 
themselves  with  music," — he  burst  into  tears — 
"what  an  evil  lot  is  mine,  that  I  was  born  a  rough 
warrior,  and  have  to  fight  against  such  elegant 
men!" 

Suddenly  from  behind,  Kojiro  heard  the  clat- 
tering of  hoofs,  and  Hirayama  Suyeshige  appeared 
on  horseback.  When  he  saw  Kojiro,  he  alighted. 
"Hello,  Kojiro,"  he  said.  "I  have  come  here 
with  the  intention  of  winning  for  myself  the  repu- 
tation of  being  the  first  fighter.  But  out  of  ad- 
miration for  your  brave  purpose,  I  abandon  the 
honour  in  your  favour.  You  must,  therefore, 
cut  your  way  inside  the  gate  without  a  moment's 


THE  BATTLE  OF  1C  HI-NO-TAN  I       183 

delay.  If  you  hesitate,  I  will  do  so  myself.  You 
must  be  quick,  young  hero!" 

The  spirited  youth,  thus  incited,  replied: 
"Many  thanks,  Hirayama.  I  shall  avail  myself 
of  your  kindness." 

He  then  stepped  up  to  the  gate,  and  knocking 
at  it,  cried  in  loud  tones:  "Within  there!  I  am 
Kojiro,  the  son  of  Kumagai  Naozane!  I  have 
come  as  the  first  fighter.  I  invite  you,  the  Taira 
warriors,  to  meet  me  in  single  combat." 

At  the  sound  of  his  challenge,  a  sudden  stir  was 
heard  within.  The  enemy  opened  the  gate. 

"Most  certainly,  sir,"  they  cried.  KojirO 
immediately  drew  his  great  sword,  and  rushed 
in. 

A  little  later,  Kumagai  Naozan6,  who  seemed 
concerned  about  his  son's  adventure,  ran  up.  He 
was  greatly  surprised  to  see  Suyeshige  standing 
passive  in  front  of  the  entrance. 

"Is  that  you,  Hirayama?"  asked  he.  "Have 
you  seen  my  son,  Kojiro?" 

"Yes,  he  was  here  a  few  moments  ago,"  an- 
swered Suyeshige.  "I  thought  it  dangerous  for 
him  to  venture  among  the  enemy,  so  I  advised 
him  to  give  up  the  idea.  But  he  utterly  defied 


1 84  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

my  words.  The  young  man  desperately  fought 
his  way  into  the  camp." 

When  he  heard  these  words,  Naozane  forthwith 
rushed  in  frantically  like  a  "lion  deprived  of  his 
cub."  Suyeshige  was  rejoiced  at  the  success  of 
his  crafty  plan. 

"Pooh!"  he  whispered  to  himself.  "Naozane 
and  his  son  are  now  at  the  mercy  of  the  enemy. 
They  are  '  caught  like  mice  in  a  trap. '  They  are 
both  proud  of  their  bravery  and  loyalty,  but  are 
now  doomed  to  destruction.  By  the  time  they 
have  fought  and  been  killed,  I  will  march  here 
with  my  large  regiment.  I  shall  surely  then  be 
victorious." 

At  this  moment  a  sound  of  many  voices  was 
heard  from  within.  The  treacherous  samurai 
was  startled  to  hear  this.  He  therefore  assumed 
a  defensive  attitude.  The  next  moment  Naozane 
stepped  out  of  the  gate,  supporting  his  son  by  the 
arm.  " Hirayama,"  he  said,  "my  son  is  wounded. 
I  must  carry  him  back  to  our  camp  for  treatment. 
You  may  stay  here  and  fight  to  your  heart's  con- 
tent." With  these  words  he  ran  away  as  quick 
as  lightning,  bearing  his  son  in  his  arms. 

Suyeshige  was  disappointed  at  his   frustrated 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       185 

hope.  He  realized  his  dangerous  situation.  He 
therefore  sprang  on  his  steed,  intending  to  go  back 
to  his  camp. 

A  moment  later,  several  soldiers  with  drawn 
swords  sallied  out  of  the  gate,  and  surrounded 
him.  A  spirited  combat  at  once  ensued.  Then 
Atsumori,  gallantly  clad  in  beautiful  armour,  rode 
forth,  and  cut  at  Suyeshige.  The  latter  found  it 
impossible  to  fight  any  longer  against  such  odds, 
so  he  spurred  his  horse,  and  beat  a  retreat.  Atsu- 
mori alone  galloped  in  hot  pursuit  of  the  fleeing 
warrior. 

For  some  time  Tamaori  ran  about  along  the 
beach  in  search  of  the  young  cavalier. 

1 '  Atsumori  Sama !  Atsumori  Sama ! ' '  she  cried. 
"  It  is  dangerous  for  you  to  ride  alone  through  the 
darkness  of  night.  For  pity's  sake  come  back!" 

By  this  time,  day  had  begun  to  dawn.  Suye- 
shige, who  had  succeeded  in  making  good  his 
escape,  was  highly  delighted  to  meet  unexpectedly 
at  this  spot,  the  beautiful  maiden  for  whom  he 
had  longed  so  passionately. 

He  alighted,  ran  up  to  her,  and  burst  forth  into 
the  eloquence  of  ardent  love.  He  said  that  as  he 
had  received  a  promise  from  her  father,  he  would 


1 86  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

take  her  with  him  as  his  wife.  He  tried  to  make 
her  mount  his  horse.  But  Tamaori  turned  a  deaf 
ear  to  all  his  professions  of  love.  The  impudent 
lover,  however,  still  more  fervently  urged  his  suit, 
and  attempted  to  take  her  by  force.  The  girl 
was  filled  with  despair  and  anger,  and  drawing 
her  sword,  she  cut  at  him.  He  caught  her  wrist. 

"Come,  girl!"  he  threatened.  "Answer me 
promptly.  Will  you  be  my  wife  or  not.  If  you 
refuse,  I  shall  take  your  life." 

" May  you  be  for  ever  cursed,"  said  she.  "You 
may  kill  me  if  you  choose.  Oh!  Why  doesn't 
some  stronger  warrior  come  and  kill  this  beast?" 

"This  is  more  than  I  can  stand,"  said  Suye- 
shige,  whose  patience  was  now  exhausted.  "I 
would  rather  kill  this  hussy  than  let  her  remain  '  a 
flower  in  another's  possession. ' 

With  these  words  he  drew  a  dagger,  and  stabbed 
her  in  the  breast.  She  immediately  uttered  an 
agonized  groan,  and  fell  back  senseless.  A  mo- 
ment later  war-shouts  were  heard  a  little  way  off. 
Seized  with  sudden  fear,  he  leaped  on  his  horse 
and  fled  away. 

The  Tairas  had  been  defeated  in  the  previous 
night's  engagement.  They  had  been  driven  by 


'You  are  a  General  of  the  Taira  army,  are  you  not?  "  he  asked,  holding  up  an 

open  fan 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       187 

degrees  to  the  seashore,  and  had  just  embarked 
on  the  ships  prepared  for  the  purpose,  and  set 
sail  for  Shikoku.  Atsumori  had  pursued  Suye- 
shige,  but  to  his  disappointment,  had  lost  sight' 
of  him.  He  therefore  rode  back  to  his  camp  to 
join  in  the  embarkation.  It  was  too  late,  how- 
ever, and  not  a  single  ship  remained.  He  there- 
upon dashed  on  his  horse  into  the  waves,  and 
attempted  to  reach  the  retreating  ships. 

At  that  moment  someone  hailed  him  from  the 
beach.  It  was  Kumagai  Naozane,  mounted  on 
horseback.  "You  are  a  General  of  the  Taira 
army,  are  you  not?"  he  asked,  holding  up  an 
open  fan.  "Only  a  coward  shows  his  back  to  the 
enemy.  Come  back,  and  try  your  skill  in  a  fight 
against  me." 

It  was  impossible  for  Atsumori  to  hesitate  when 
addressed  by  one  of  the  enemy.  Without  a 
moment's  delay,  he  turned  his  horse  back,  and 
went  ashore.  Naozane  rode  to  meet  him. 
Both  warriors  drew  their  swords,  and  struck  at 
each  other  for  some  minutes,  their  blades  glitter- 
ing in  the  rising  sun.  But  as  their  combat  was 
undecisive,  Atsumori  threw  down  his  sword  for  a 
close  fight.  Naozane  was  filled  with  admiration 


1 88  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

for  his  adversary's  bravery,  and  also  threw  down 
his  sword.  No  sooner  had  they  grappled  with  each 
other,  than  they  fell  heavily  to  the  ground.  In 
an  instant  Naozane  was  holding  Atsumori  down. 

When  Naozane  had  Atsumori  well  under  him, 
he  said  in  kindly  tones : 

"  Now  that  your  fate  is  sealed,  you  must  declare 
your  name,  in  order  that  I  may  perform  an  ex- 
ploit in  killing  you.  If  there  is  anything  you  wish 
done  after  your  death,  tell  it  to  me  frankly.  I 
shall  be  pleased  to  send  word  to  your  family.  As 
far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  am  Kumagai  Naozan6, 
one  of  General  Yoshitsune's  retainers." 

"Your  kindness  fills  me  with  gratitude,"  an- 
swered Atsumori  in  clear  tones,  indicative  of 
satisfaction  and  peace  of  mind.  "  I  am  very  for- 
tunate to  die  by  the  sword  of  such  a  tender-hearted 
warrior  as  you!  I  am  Atsumori,  the  son  of  Coun- 
cillor Tsunemori.  I  fear  that  the  news  of  my 
death  will  grieve  my  parents.  I  should  deem  it  a 
kindness  if  you  would  send  my  corpse  to  them, 
Kumagai." 

Naozane  burst  into  tears.  He  helped  Atsumori 
up  on  to  his  knees,  and  brushed  the  dust  off  his 
armour. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       189 

"If  I  spare  your  life,"  he  said,  "it  will  make  no 
difference  to  the  victory  of  the  Minamoto  army. 
Fortunately  nobody  is  looking  at  us.  You  had 
better  make  your  escape  as  quickly  as  you  can." 
So  saying,  Naozane  prepared  to  take  leave  of 
Atsumori.  Suddenly  Hirayama  Suyeshige  ap- 
peared on  a  hill  behind  them. 

"  Stay,  Kumagai,"  he  cried.  "  You  are  a  double- 
hearted  villain.  You  cannot  really  intend  to 
save  the  life  of  a  Taira  General  whom  you  have 
beaten  down !  Don't  stir  there ! " 

Naozane  paused  on  hearing  this  cruel  re- 
buke, and  for  a  moment  did  not  know  what 
to  do. 

"Don't  trouble  yourself,  sir,"  said  the  young 
nobleman  in  mild  tones.  "The  Tairas  are  doomed 
to  ruin.  I  am  sure  to  meet  a  disgraceful  death 
some  day  or  other,  even  if  I  am  saved  here.  I 
much  prefer  to  die  by  your  sword.  Kill  me 
quickly,  and  then  you  will  be  cleared  from  the 
suspicion  of  your  associate." 

With  these  words  he  bent  his  head  forward,  and 
calmly  awaited  decapitation.  Naozane  saw  that 
he  had  no  alternative,  so  wiping  his  tears  he  rose 
to  his  feet. 


190  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

"  Now,  permit  me,"  he  said.  There  was  a  flash 
of  steel,  and  the  next  moment  Atsumori's  head 
fell  from  his  shoulders. 

Naozane  held  up  the  bloody  head  in  his  arms. 
He  then  cried  in  tones  broken  with  sobs,  "I, 
Kumagai  Naozane,  have  taken  the  head  of  Atsu- 
mori,  a  famous  general  of  the  Taira  clan." 

Then  a  faint  voice  was  heard  to  say,  "Who 
has  killed  Atsumori  Sama?  I  can  hardly  believe 
•such  unhappy  news.  Let  me  see  his  face  before 
I  die." 

It  was  Tamaori,  who  was  lying  on  the  beach, 
writhing  in  her  death  agonies.  Naozane  ap- 
proached the  dying  girl.  "Who  is  it  that  longs 
for  Lord  Atsumori?" 

"I  am  Atsumori's  wife  Tamaori.  Let  me  see 
his  head,  sir." 

Taking  compassion  on  her,  the  warrior  handed 
her  the  head. 

"Is  this  my  Atsumori?"  she  said  sobbing.  "I 
long  for  a  sight  of  his  face,  but  I  cannot  see  any 
longer."  She  closed  her  eyes,  and  pressed  the 
head  against  her  face,  and  embraced  it.  But 
her  strength  quickly  failed  her,  until  at  last  she 
expired. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       191 

When  Naozane  saw  the  pitiful  sight  of  such  a 
beautiful  couple,  cruelly  cut  off  in  the  bloom  of 
youth,  he  stood  for  a  few  moments,  stupefied  with 
sorrow. 


THE  question  to  be  considered  now  is  whether 
Kumagai  Naozane  actually  killed  Atsumori  or 
not.  If  he  had  done  so,  he  had  disregarded  General 
Yoshitsune's  instructions  which  had  been  hinted 
at  on  the  notice  board  regarding  cherry-blossoms. 
He  could  hardly  have  done  this,  for  he  was  dis- 
tinguished both  for  loyalty  to  the  Imperial  family, 
and  for  his  sympathetic  nature.  If  he  did  not 
kill  the  real  Atsumori,  who  could  it  have  been 
that  he  had  killed  on  the  beach  of  Ichi-no-tani? 

In  front  of  Naozane's  camp  at  Ichi-no-tani, 
there  stood  a  young  cherry-tree  which  was  now 
in  full  bloom.  Under  the  tree  stood  Yoshitsune's 
notice  board,  "It  is  strictly  prohibited  to  injure 
the  cherry-blossoms.  Any  one  cutting  off  one 
branch  shall  be  punished  by  having  one  finger 
cut  off." 

One  day  a  middle-aged  woman  called  at  Nao- 
zane's camp.  She  was  his  wife  Sagami.  She 
had  come  from  her  home  in  the  far-off  province 

of  Musashi,  in  order  to  see  her  husband  and  her 

192 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       193 

son,  Kojiro.  Naozane  was  out,  and  Kojiro  was 
not  to  be  seen. 

While  she  was  talking  about  her  husband  and 
her  son  with  a  samurai,  who  was  in  charge  of  the 
camp  in  Naozane' s  absence,  there  suddenly  arose 
a  noise  outside  the  entrance.  Then  Atsumori's 
mother,  Fuji-no-Kata,  rushed  into  the  camp,  hotly 
pursued  by  the  Minamoto  soldiers.  Sagami  ran 
out  in  suprise,  to  meet  her.  They  both  looked 
into  each  other's  face. 

"You  are  Madame  Fuji-no-Kata,  are  you  not?" 
asked  Sagami. 

"And  you,  I  believe,  are  Sagami." 

Both  were  exceedingly  delighted  to  meet  each 
other,  thus  unexpectedly.  As  was  previously 
mentioned,  Sagami  had  served  Fuji-no-Kata 
as  maid -of -honour,  sixteen  years  before,  and 
Naozane  had  served  the  ex-Emperor  at  the  same 
time.  But  at  that  time,  Naozane' s  surname  had 
been  Satake,  so  Fuji-no-Kata  did  not  know  that 
the  famous  Naozane  and  her  former  maid's  hus- 
band were  one  and  the  same  man.  Therefore,  as 
she  talked  with  Sagami,  she  was  amazed  to  learn 
the  truth.  It  was  Satak6  who  had  killed  her  son 
Atsumori.  He  was  her  mortal  enemy.  She  was 

13 


194  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

determined  to  be  revenged  on  him  for  her  son's 
death.  She  was  almost  overcome  with  sorrow  and 
anger.  She  asked  Sagami  to  remember  their  old 
relations  of  mistress  and  maid,  and  to  assist  her 
in  her  act  of  revenge.  Sagami  for  a  moment  was 
at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  say  in  reply.  At  last 
she  decided  that  she  would  await  her  husband's 
return,  and  after  she  had  learned  under  what 
circumstances  he  had  killed  Atsumori,  she  would 
decide  her  attitude.  While  she  was  thus  trying 
to  console  Fuji-no-Kata,  Kajiwara  Kagetaka, 
the  mean  samurai  who  had  tried  to  capture  Tada- 
nori,  came  in,  accompanied  by  an  old  stone  mason 
named  Midaroku.  He  said  that,  with  Naozane's 
assistance,  he  intended  to  examine  the  suspicious 
man  who  pretended  to  erect  tombstones  in  memory 
of  the  Tairas  who  had  fallen  in  battle.  Sagami 
ushered  him  into  the  inner  room,  asking  him  to 
await  her  husband's  return. 

Soon  after,  Naozane  returned  and  was  surprised 
to  see  his  wife. 

"What!  You  here?"  he  asked  with  a  look  of 
displeasure. 

"I  felt  anxious  about  Kojiro,"  she  replied.  "I 
wanted  to  obtain  information  about  him,  so  I 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       195 

walked  farther  and  farther,  until  I  found  myself 
in  the  Capital.  When  I  arrived  there,  I  heard 
that  the  battle  was  at  its  height.  My  motherly 
affection  at  last  induced  me  to  turn  my  steps 
here." 

"  Pshaw ! "  interrupted  Naozane  angrily.  "  When 
a  warrior  goes  to  battle,  he  cannot  expect  to  return 
alive.  What  would  you  have  done  if  Kojiro  had 
fallen  on  the  field?" 

"I  should  be  filled  with  joy,  if  he,  in  his  first 
battle,  had  fallen  fighting  with  a  distinguished 
warrior." 

"Kojiro  was  spurred  by  the  ambition  of  gaming 
the  fame  of  being  the  first  fighter.  He  therefore 
singly  cut  his  way  into  the  Taira  camp.  He  was 
wounded,  but " 

"He  was  wounded?  Was  his  wound  trifling 
or  severe?  Was  he  mortally  wounded?" 

"Would  you  be  grieved  if  you  heard  that  he 
was  mortally  wounded?" 

"No,  if  I  thought  that  he  had  fought  so  hard 
as  to  be  wounded,  I  could  not  fail  to  be  joyful. 
I  should  not  sorrow  at  all." 

"I  carried  the  wounded  youth  in  my  arms,  and 
took  him  back  to  my  camp.  When  I  was  again 


196  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

going  to  the  enemy's  camp,  I  killed  Lord  Atsumori, 
a  young  Taira  General." 

Sagami  was  taken  aback  at  hearing  these  words. 
Fuji-no-Kata  had  overheard  this,  and  rushed 
forth  with  a  drawn  dagger. 

"Prepare  for  death,  enemy  of  my  son,"  she 
cried,  stabbing  at  Naozane. 

The  surprised  hero  caught  the  lady  by  the  arm. 

"Who  are  you?"  he  roared  with  a  look  of  fury, 
"that  call  me  ' enemy. ' ' 

"Oh,  my  husband,"  said  his  wife.  "Be  more 
courteous.  This  lady  is  Madame  Fuji-no-Kata." 

Naozane,  amazed,  leaped  back  and  made  a  low 
obeisance  to  Fuji-no-Kata.  The  lady  burst  into 
tears. 

"Although  you  killed  him  in  battle,"  she  said, 
"it  was  cruel  of  you  to  take  the  life  of  a  mere 
stripling  like  my  son,  Naozane" — she  raised  her 
dagger  again — "Sagami,  assist  me  in 'my  stroke 
of  revenge!" 

"Wait  just  a  moment,  madame,"  said  Sagami, 
with  an  anxious  look.  "I  am  sure,  my  husband, 
that  you  had  some  profound  reason  for  killing  Lord 
Atsumori,  of  whose  birth  you  are  well-informed. 
Pray  tell  us  your  reason,  as  quickly  as  you  can." 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       197 

Naozane  drew  himself  up  with  dignity.  "Ma- 
dame," he  said,  "  I  will  remind  you  that  the  present 
war  is  being  conducted  in  accordance  with  an  Im- 
perial edict  for  the  subjugation  of  the  Tairas.  It 
is  not  a  private  affair.  We  are  not  allowed  to 
make  any  distinction  of  persons.  You  must  not 
blame  me  if  I  have  dared  to  kill  Lord  Atsumori. 
I  did  my  best  to  spare  his  life,  but " 

He  thereupon  gave  them  a  detailed  account  of 
the  circumstances  under  which  he  had  been  obliged 
to  kill  the  young  nobleman.  After  hearing  it, 
Fuji-no-Kata  quite  understood  the  situation, 
and  her  anger  was  much  pacified. 

"Madame  Fuji-no-Kata  should  not  stay  here 
any  longer,"  said  Naozane.  "You  must  conduct 
her  to  some  place  of  safety." 

He  rose  to  his  feet  with  the  kubi-oke — a  case 
for  containing  a  head— in  his  hand. 

"With  your  leave,  madame,  I  will  take  Lord 
Atsumori's  head  to  the  headquarters,  for  General 
Yoshitsune's  inspection." 

"One  moment,  husband,"  said  Sagami,  catch- 
ing Naozane  by  the  sleeve.  "  Pray  allow  Madame 
to  glance  at  Lord  Atsumori's  face.  It  will  be  the 
last  opportunity  she  will  have  of  a  glimpse  of  it 


198  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

in  this  life."  Fuji-no-Kata  added  her  entreaties 
for  a  glance  at  the  head. 

"  I  deeply  regret  that  I  cannot  obey  your  orders," 
Naozane  said  sternly.  "An  official  identification 
of  the  head  must  be  made  before  I  can  show  it 
privately  to  anyone."  He  pushed  both  women 
aside,  and  stepped  outside.  At  that  moment  a 
voice  was  heard. 

"Naozane,"  it  said,  "you  will  be  spared  the  trou- 
ble of  taking  Lord  Atsumori's  head  to  the  headquar- 
ters. Yoshitsune  will  inspect  it  here."  Yoshitsun6 
himself  then  appeared  on  the  scene.  Naozane 
respectfully  prostrated  himself  before  him. 

"I  thought  it  strange  and  suspicious,"  said 
Yoshitsune,  "that  you  have  not  only  delayed  to 
present  the  head  for  my  inspection,  but  you  also 
abruptly  asked  to  be  allowed  to  retire  from  the 
army  before  the  end  of  the  battle.  I  therefore 
stealthily  came  here,  and  saw  all  that  has  just 
happened.  I  will  now  make  haste  to  inspect  the 
head." 

Naozan6  ran  out,  and  pulled  out  the  notice 
board  under  the  cherry-tree.  He  then  placed 
Atsumori's  head  on  it,  and  set  it  before  Yoshi- 
tsune, saying  in  tremulous  tones : 


Mr.  KoshirS  as  Kumagai 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       199 

"Will  your  lordship  deign  to  inspect  this  head, 
which  I  have  taken,  so  far  as  I  can  judge,  in  ac- 
cordance with  your  instructions.  Tell  me,  I  beg, 
if  I  have  hit  the  mark,  or  if  I  have  erred,  my  lord." 

Yoshitsune  made  a  careful  examination  of  the 
head. 

"Oh,  well  done,  Naozane,"  he  said,  bursting 
into  tears.  "This  is  indeed  Atsumori's  head. 
You  have  rightly  judged  how  much  I  love  the 
cherry-blossoms.  You  have  my  heartiest  sym- 
pathy and  admiration.  Now,  the  bereaved  rela- 
tives may  take  a  farewell  look  at  the  head." 

"Come,  wife,"  said  Naozane,  handing  the  head 
to  Sagami. 

"  Let  Madame  Fuji-no-Kata  see  Lord  Atsumori's 
head." 

Sagami  received  the  head.  She  gave  one  glance 
at  it,  and  immediately  became  speechless  with 
consternation.  Fuji-no-Kata  was  also  struck  dumb 
with  horror.  Sagami' s  dismay  was  not  to  be  won- 
dered at.  The  head  was  not  that  of  Atsumori, 
but  of  her  own  son  KojirO.  Atsumori,  who  had 
been  believed  to  have  been  killed,  was  alive,  while 
Kojiro  who  had  been  supposed  to  be  living  was 
dead.  But  they  were  puzzled  to  know  how 


200  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

and  when   Naozane  had  substituted   Kojiro  for 
Atsumori. 

Then  Naozane  with  fast  falling  tears,  gave  the 
required  explanation.  After  he  had  solved  Yoshi- 
tsune's  riddle  on  the  notice  board,  he  had  deter- 
mined to  save  Atsumori  at  the  sacrifice  of  his 
beloved  son,  who  had  heartily  joined  in  his  father's 
scheme,  and  had  willingly  offered  himself  up  for 
the  sake  of  loyalty.  Naozane  had  let  Kojiro  cut 
his  way  singly  into  the  Taira  camp,  merely  as  a 
means  to  accomplish  his  purpose.  He  himself  had 
followed  his  son  among  the  enemy  with  the  pre- 
tence of  saving  him.  He  had  carried  Atsumori, 
dressed  in  Kojiro' s  armour,  to  his  camp,  on  the 
pretext  that  he  was  wounded.  By  that  time  he 
had  substituted  Kojiro  for  Atsumori.  Therefore 
it  was  Kojiro  disguised  as  Atsumori  who  had  fought 
with  Hirayama  Suyeshige,  and  had  made  him 
take  to  flight.  It  was  also  the  disguised  Kojiro 
whom  Naozane  had  killed  on  the  beach  of  Ichi- 
no-tani,  addressing  him  as  Lord  Atsumori,  in  the 
most  polite  language,  and  behaving  most  courte- 
ously towards  him.  He  had  done  this  purposely, 
so  that  neither  his  enemy,  nor  his  comrades  might 
perceive  the  truth.  Briefly,  Naozane  had  skil- 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       201 

fully  fulfilled  Yoshitsune's  instructions  to  secretly 
save  Atsumori. 

Naozane's  pathetic  story  overwhelmed  all  his 
listeners.  When  he  had  finished  Kagetaka,  who 
had  brought  in  the  stone-mason  some  time  before, 
suddenly  appeared  on  the  scene. 

"I  have  overheard,"  he  cried,  "that  both  Lord 
Yoshitsune  and  Naozane  have  traitorously  saved 
Atsumori,  a  general  of  the  enemy.  His  Excel- 
lency Lord  Yoritomo  shall  at  once  be  informed  of 
this."  He  began  to  turn  his  steps  outward. 
Suddenly  a  dart  came  flashing  through  the  air, 
and,  lodged  in  his  throat.  He  fell  dead  on  the 
spot.  The  next  moment  the  old  stone-mason 
appeared. 

"It  is  I  who  have  caused  the  death  of  this  ras- 
cally nuisance,"  he  said.  "I  did  it  in  order  to  set 
you  all  at  ease.  Farewell,  I  will  see  you  again." 
With  these  words  he  prepared  to  depart.  Yoshi- 
tsune bade  him  stop. 

"Old  man,"  he  said,  "before  you  go,  I  have 
something  to  present  you  with.  Here  it  is,  you 
must  take  great  care  of  it." 

He  pointed  to  a  large  armour-chest  placed  in 
the  alcove. 


202  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

"Many  thanks,  my  lord,"  replied  the  mason, 
"but  may  I  not  examine  the  contents  before  I 
accept  it?" 

He  removed  the  lid,  and  looked  into  the  chest. 
He  at  once  started  back  in  amazement,  and  then 
quickly  replaced  the  cover  with  an  anxious  look. 
The  coffer  contained  the  delicate  young  warrior 
Atsumori,  whose  concealment  therein,  the  saga- 
cious Yoshitsune  had  perceived. 

The  old  man  in  question  was  a  Taira  warrior 
named  Munekiyo,  in  disguise.  After  his  clansmen 
had  left  the  capital,  and  been  defeated  in  several 
battles,  he  had  secretly  retired  from  the  army. 
He  had  then  become  a  stone-mason,  with  the 
intention  of  getting  tombstones  erected  for  those 
Tairas  who  had  fallen  in  battle.  Yoshitsune 
owed  his  life  to  this  old  man.  Many  years  before, 
when  he  was  a  baby,  his  mother  had  wandered 
from  place  to  place,  carrying  him  in  her  bosom. 
She  had  at  last  been  discovered  by  the  Tairas. 
But  Munekiyo  had  sympathized  with  them,  and 
by  his  intermediation  they  were  both  saved  from 
death.  Now,  as  he  wished  to  repay  his  benefac- 
tor, Yoshitsune  gave  him  Atsumori  hidden  in  the 
chest.  He  then  ordered  him  to  conduct  Fuji-no- 


Mr.  Yaozo  as  Kumagai 


THE  BATTLE  OF  ICHI-NO-TANI       203 

Kata  back  to  Kyoto.  The  old  samurai  wept  for 
gratitude. 

Naozane,  having  killed  his  beloved  son,  was 
weary  of  the  military  profession.  He  resolved  to 
forsake  the  world,  and  spend  the  remainder  of  his 
days  in  praying  for  the  soul  of  the  deceased.  That 
very  day  he  had  obtained  Yoshitsune's  permission 
to  retire  from  the  army.  He  thereupon  became 
a  Buddhist  priest,  and  prepared  to  start  on  a 
pilgrimage  to  the  holy  places  throughout  Japan. 
His  sorrow-stricken  wife  was  also  weary  of  life, 
and  became  a  nun,  with  the  determination  of 
accompanying  her  husband.  Both  were  on  the 
point  of  setting  out  on  their  journey,  when  they 
looked  at  each  other,  and  calculated  Kojiro's  age. 

"Alas!"  they  exclaimed,  "these  sixteen  years 
have  passed  away  like  a  dream." 

They  again  burst  into  tears. 


THe  Sufferings  of  Miss  "Deep-Snow1 

From 

The  SfiO'Utsushi  Jisagao  Banashi 

By 

Yamada   Rag'asHi 


205 


THe  Sufferings  of  Miss  "Deep-Snow" 

I 

an  easy  distance  from  Kyoto  flows 
the  U ji  River  whose  valley  is  famous 
as  the  haunt  of  fireflies.  A  unique 
phenomenon  is  presented  by  these 
insects,  glittering  in  myriads  above  the  stream 
which,  for  the  greater  part  of  its  course,  meanders 
between  picturesque  lines  of  hills.  On  summer 
evenings  the  place  is  the  resort  of  throngs  of  people 
bent  on  enjoying  this  brilliant  spectacle. 

Early  one  evening  in  the  far-off  days  of  the 
Ashikaga  Shogun,  a  handsome  young  samurai 
and  a  Buddhist  priest  might  have  been  seen, 
seated  on  a  bench  of  a  tea-house  overlooking  the 
Uji  River.  They  had  given  themselves  up  to 
admiring  contemplation  of  the  beautiful  landscape, 
now  bathed  in  the  gold  of  the  setting  sun.  It  was 
clear  that  they  were  waiting  until  the  coming  of 
darkness  should  bring  the  view  of  the  luminous 

insects. 

207 


208  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

As  time  went  on,  the  young  warrior  fell  to 
writing  on  a  tanzaku1,  and  passed  it  to  his  friend, 
who  read  from  it  the  following  poem2 : 

"  On  yonder  arch  that  spans  the  stream, 

Where  festive  throngs  pass  to  and  fro, 
Sweet  must  it  be  to  feel,  I  deem, 
The  cool  and  gentle  breezes  blow." 

The  poem  seemed  to  make  a  strong  appeal  to 
the  imagination  of  the  shaveling.  Time  and  again 
he  ran  his  eye  over  it  before  putting  the  paper 
down  on  the  bench  at  his  side.  Then  suddenly 
a  vagrant  puff  of  wind  caught  and  carried  it  off. 
For  a  moment  it  floated  in  air,  then  fluttered  down 
into  a  pleasure-boat  that  lay  moored  to  the  shore. 

The  samurai  in   question  bore  the  name  of 

1 A  tanzaku  is  an  artistically  prepared  strip  of  moderately 
heavy  paper,  about  two  inches  wide  and  twelve  inches  long, 
designed  for  the  inditing  of  a  short  poem,  or  for  the  painting  of 
a  picture.  A  man  of  taste  often  takes  a  few  of  these  strips  with 
him,  when  visiting  places  noted  for  flowers  or  fireflies,  and  writes 
on  them  versicles  of  31  or  17  syllables,  composed  on  the  spur  of 
the  moment,  when  the  imagination  is  excited  by  sights  of  beauty. 

3  The  original  is  trite  in  thought  as  may  be  inferred  from  this 
rendering,  but  the  poem  may  justly  be  looked  on  as  noteworthy, 
in  that  it  is  a  very  clever  imitation,  in  similarity  of  diction  and 
phrasing  and  of  construction  generally,  of  a  famous  poem  in  the 
Kokinshu,  or  "Poems,  Ancient  and  Modern"  (an  anthology 
compiled  in  A.D.  905  at  the  mandate  of  the  Emperor  Daigo). 


The  young  warrior  fell  to  writing  on  a  tanzaku 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  209 

Miyagi  Asojiro.  He  was  a  retainer  of  Ouchi 
Yoshi-oki,  the  governor-general  of  Chinzei,  whose 
feudal  hold  dominated  the  town  of  Yamaguchi, 
in  Suwo,  a  province  whose  eastern  shores  are 
washed  by  the  Inland  Sea.  Although  a  young 
man  about  twenty-five,  Asojiro  had  already  a 
great  name  in  his  clan  for  intelligence  and  for 
proficiency  in  military  arts.  He  was  now  study- 
ing literature  in  Kyoto,  at  that  time  the  capital 
both  of  the  Emperor  and  of  the  Shogun.  To-day 
he  was  here,  on  the  bank  of  the  Uji,  with  his 
bosom  friend,  Gessin,  the  priest,  to  enjoy  a  re- 
laxation from  his  studies. 

At  the  moment  when  Asojiro's  tanzaku  reached 
the  boat  in  its  zigzag  flight  there  arose  from  the 
little  craft  the  sound  of  a  samisen  or  guitar,  ac- 
companied by  a  song  in  a  voice  of  exquisite  sweet- 
ness. Captivated  by  the  strains  the  young  soldier 
listened  with  attentive  ear  till  some  time  had 
passed,  and  a  sigh  escaped  him  as  he  turned  at  last 
to  his  companion  and  said : 

"Voice  and  music  are  alike  charming,  my  friend, 
in  the  extreme.  The  possessor  of  such  a  voice 
must  be  a  paragon  of  beauty.  It's  a  great  shame 
that  we  cannot  sit  by  her  side  to  listen." 


210  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

"Oho!"  returned  the  priest,  with  a  laugh. 
"Even  our  sober-sides  unbends!  You  seem  to 
have  developed  a  great  interest  in  music.  Ah, 
well,  but  what  a  ninny  I  am!  I  have  clean  for- 
gotten an  important  service  to  be  held  this  very 
night.  With  your  permission  I  will  take  myself 
off.  See  that  you  enjoy  yourself.  Good-bye," 
and  with  this  cheery  parting  the  priest  hurried 
off  to  his  temple  duties. 

The  singer  in  the  boat  was  a  girl  of  seventeen 
endowed  with  surpassing  beauty.  She  was  Miyuki 
("Deep-Snow"),  the  only  daughter  of  Akizuki 
Yuminosuk6,  at  one  time  chief  adviser  of  the 
Kishido  Clan  in  Aki,  a  province  which  lies  adjacent 
to  that  from  which  Asojiro  hailed.  Circumstances 
had  obliged  him  to  resign  his  post  and  he  was  then 
living  at  Kyoto  in  comfortable  retirement. 

Now  the  strains  of  Miyuki's  guitar  had  ceased. 
Asaka  ("Light  Fragrance"),  her  nurse,  picked  up 
the  tanzaku,  which  had  lodged  on  the  gunwale  of 
the  boat,  and  handed  it  to  her  young  mistress 
who  perused  it  with  curiosity.  The  beauty  of 
the  poem  and  of  the  handwriting  excited  her 
admiration,  and  in  obedience  to  an  involuntary 
impulse  she  looked  up  to  the  bank  above.  Her 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  211 

eyes  by  chance  met  those  of  Asojiro,  who  was 
looking  down  upon  the  boat,  and  in  that  momen- 
tary interchange  of  glances  there  sprang  up  within 
them  an  ardent  desire  each  for  the  other. 

At  this  moment,  arrived  two  samurai,  the 
worse  for  drink,  who  leapt  into  Miyuki's  boat 
without  a  preliminary,  "By  your  leave."  With 
churlish  rudeness  they  desired  her  to  supply  them 
with  sake ,  demanding  that  she  serve  them  with 
her  own  hands  and  entertain  them  with  music 
while  they  drank.  To  all  appearance  a  refusal 
would  excite  them  to  resort  to  any  violent  deed. 
So  Asaka  implored  them  not  to  press  their  demands 
on  the  shrinking  girl,  but  her  polite  entreaties 
only  had  the  result  of  driving  them  to  greater 
length  in  rudeness.  At  this  Asojiro  could  no 
longer  contain  himself.  He  made  his  way  to  the 
boat  and  spoke  to  the  ruffians  at  first  in  a  tone 
of  mild  remonstrance.  But  far  from  lending  an 
ear  to  his  exhortations,  they  began  to  revile  him 
bitterly  and  finally  raised  their  hands  in  act  to 
strike.  With  the  quickness  of  thought,  AsojirO 
pinioned  their  arms  and  threw  them  prostrate 
with  a  kick.  This  display  of  great  physical 
strength  was  too  much  for  their  courage.  They 


212  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

turned  tail,  slunk  up  the  bank  and  precipitately 
took  to  their  heels.  Asojiro  was  minded  to  pursue 
them  in  their  flight,  but  at  Miyuki's  earnest 
entreaty  he  gave  up  the  idea. 

"Please  sit  down  and  think  no  more  about  it," 
she  said,  extending  a  sake  cup  toward  him.  "I 
cannot  find  words  to  convey  to  you  my  gratitude 
for  your  timely  interference.  I  am  sorry  indeed 
that  we  have  nothing  tempting  to  set  before  you, 
but  allow  me  to  offer  you  some  wine." 

"You  are  very  kind,  but  I  really  must  be  going." 

Here  Asaka  broke  in.  "Pray  do  not  leave  us 
so  soon,"  said  she.  "As  you  see,  we  are  all  of  us 
women,  and  it  is  to  be  feared  that  other  miscreants 
may  break  in  upon  our  privacy.  I  am  sorry  to 
impose  upon  your  good  nature,  but  let  me  beg  of 
you  to  remain  with  us  until  our  boatmen  return." 

"In  that  case,"  said  Asojiro,  "it  will  give  me 
great  pleasure  to  remain  in  your  company." 

Soon  the  three  were  exchanging  cups  and  talk- 
ing merrily.  Asojiro  revealed  to  the  girl  his  name 
and  circumstances  and  she  reciprocated  with  a 
similar  confidence.  Miyuki's  heart  was  bounding 
with  joy  and  she  seemed  to  wish  to  make  a  further 
revelation,  but  hesitated  in  expressing  it.  The 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  213 

astute  Asaka  was  aware  of  this  and  stepped  ashore 
with  the  other  maid,  giving  as  a  pretext  her  desire 
to  stroll  along  the  bank  awhile. 

Asojiro  and  Miyuki  were  thus  left  alone,  sitting 
face  to  face.  The  girl  drew  forth  a  beautiful  fan, 
adorned  with  a  design  of  morning-glories  painted 
on  a  golden  ground.  She  desired  the  young 
samurai  to  write  some  words  beside  the  picture  as 
a  souvenir  of  this  happy  meeting.  Asojiro  re- 
plied that  his  writing  would  only  deface  the  beau- 
tiful fan,  but  that  he  could  not  find  it  in  his  heart 
to  refuse  her  earnest  request.  Thereupon  he 
wrote  the  following  poem,  and  restored  the  fan 
to  her. 

"  The  morning-glories  are  fresh  and  sheen, 
Embossed  with  drops  of  sparkling  dew; 

But  well-a-day !  the  sunlight  keen 
Bids  fair  to  blight  their  lovely  hue. 

Oh,  how  I  wish  a  kindly  shower 
Would  fall,  to  save  the  charming  flower!" 

"Oh!  it  is  a  lovely  song!  lovely  indeed!"  cried 
Miyuki,  in  an  excess  of  delight.  "I  will  keep 
this  fan  about  me  all  my  life,  as  an  amulet,  I  will, 
indeed!"  And  with  that  she  wrote  in  turn  upon 


214  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

a  tanzaku  and  handed  it  to  Asojiro,  with  downcast 
eyes. 

"  For  him  I  long,  nigh  past  control, 

Who's  barred  from  me  and  from  my  heart; 
Would  that  a  pitying  breeze  would  start, 
And  waft  to  him  my  love  and  soul!" 

At  sight  of  this  poem  Asojiro  comprehended 
her  meaning  and  said : 

"Is  it  possible,  Miyuki,  that  you  have  such  a 
regard  for  me  who  am  only  a  humble  samurai?" 

The  girl  blushed  rosy  red  as  she  responded: 
"  Oh,  Asojiro,  you  are  the  only  desire  of  my  heart. 
Pray — ."  But  with  that  came  a  long  embrace 
and  vows  of  eternal  fidelity. 

But  suddenly  a  raucous  voice  bawling,  "Aso- 
jiro! Master  Asojiro!"  broke  in  upon  the  blissful 
conversation  of  the  young  lovers.  This  ill-timed 
interruption  came  from  Asojiro's  henchman, 
Shikanai,  who  brought  a  letter,  sent  in  urgent 
haste  by  his  master's  uncle,  Komazawa  Ryoan. 
This  letter  had  been  carried  post  haste  by  a  mes- 
senger from  Asojiro's  native  town.  The  gist  of 
the  letter  was  that  his  liege  lord,  Ouchi  Yoshi-oki, 
then  domiciled  at  Kamakura,  the  seat  of  the 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  215 

government  of  the  Kanryo  or  Vice-Shogun,  had 
abandoned  himself  to  indulgence  in  wine  and  loose 
women.  Deaf  to  all  expostulations  of  his  retain- 
ers, he  had,  in  an  access  of  rage,  killed  one  of 
them  who  had  remonstrated  too  strongly.  The 
letter  further  stated  that  as  Asojiro's  uncle  dis- 
trusted his  own  tact  and  ability  to  cope  with  this 
crisis,  it  was  his  intention  to  adopt  Asojiro  as 
heir  to  his  estates,  and  to  resign  his  office  in  his 
favour.  He  enjoined  the  young  man  to  proceed 
to  Kamakura  and  to  do  his  utmost,  in  virtue  of 
his  office  as  Chief-Councillor,  to  win  back  Yoshi- 
oki,  his  lord,  to  sobriety  and  decorum,  but  before 
leaving  for  Kamakura,  he  was  to  make  all  haste 
to  his  native  town  and  there  confer  with  his  uncle 
as  to  further  details. 

It  was  clear  that  the  situation  did  not  admit 
of  a  moment's  delay  on  the  part  of  Asojiro  who 
owed  everything  to  his  uncle.  In  spite  of  the 
promptings  of  his  heart,  which  urged  him  to  linger 
in  his  sweetheart's  company,  in  spite  of  the 
maiden's  entreaties  that  he  would  prolong  his 
stay,  he  forced  himself  to  say,  with  a  sigh : 

"It  grieves  me  more  than  I  can  tell  to  leave 
your  side  so  soon,  but  it  is  out  of  my  power  to 


2i  6  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

refuse.  Cherish  as  a  souvenir  of  me  that  fan  of 
yours  on  which  my  song  is  written,  and  wait  with 
all  patience  till  I  join  you  again  and  claim  you  as 
my  bride.  Bide  ever  true  to  me,  Miyuki  mine." 
As  he  spoke  the  boatmen  appeared  and,  with  a 
last  farewell  to  Miyuki,  he  hurried  away  with 
his  servant,  leaving  the  girl  in  tears. 


II 


MIYUKI'S  father,  as  we  have  mentioned  before, 
had  been  Chief-Councillor  of  the  Kishido  Clan 
in  the  province  of  Aki.  The  lord  of  this  clan  had 
become  infatuated  with  a  beautiful  concubine, 
O-Ran  ("  Orchid  ")  by  name,  and  had  given  himself 
up  to  all  manner  of  sensual  pleasures  to  the  utter 
neglect  of  government.  Yuminosuke  had  time 
and  again  remonstrated  with  him  but  his  pleadings 
fell  upon  deaf  ears;  and  finally  the  old  councillor 
had  resigned  his  post,  and  was  now  leading  a  life 
of  comfort  and  ease  at  Kyoto. 

One  evening  a  man  spent  with  running  pre- 
sented himself  at  the  door  of  Yuminosuke' s  house. 
This  was  one  of  his  old  friends,  a  samurai  of  the 
same  clan,  and  he  had  brought  a  weighty  message 
from  Yuminosuke's  former  lord.  The  latter  in 
fact  had  been  going  on  in  his  evil  courses  from  bad 
to  worse.  At  the  instigation  of  the  scoundrelly 
Ashigara  DenzO,  a  younger  brother  of  his  concu- 
bine O-Ran,  he  had  laid  heavy  burdens  of  taxation 

upon  the  people  and  had  exacted  contributions 

217 


2i8  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

of  gold  and  treasures  from  the  wealthy,  with 
no  other  object  than  to  acquire  funds  wherewith 
to  glut  his  vices.  The  people  of  the  clan,  goaded 
to  discontent,  had  risen  in  revolt,  mobs  had 
marched  upon  the  lord's  castle  and  the  disturbance 
they  were  creating  was  beyond  description.  No 
one  but  Yuminosuke  was  equal  to  the  task  of 
quelling  the  rebellion;  so  it  was  the  order  of  the 
lord  that  he  should  return  to  the  clan,  and  re-estab- 
lish peace  and  order. 

As  Yuminosuke  was  loyalty  itself,  he  at  once 
expressed  his  intention  of  obeying  the  command, 
and  as  the  crisis  was  one  that  demanded  instant 
action,  on  his  part,  he  left  Kyoto  that  same  night 
and  took  ship  at  Osaka  en  route  to  his  province. 
This  was  two  or  three  days  after  his  daughter, 
Miyuki,  had  parted  from  her  lover  on  the  Uji 
River. 

The  vessel  in  which  Yuminosuke  and  his  family 
were  sailing  homeward  lay  becalmed  one  night  in 
Akashi  harbour  in  the  province  of  Harima.  While 
they  waited  for  a  wind,  by  a  strange  coincidence, 
the  ship  that  carried  Asojiro,  also  proceeding 
homeward,  anchored  by  their  side,  gunwale  to 
gunwale.  The  moon  shone  full  and  the  haven 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  219 

presented  a  picturesque  appearance.  Asojiro  went 
up  on  deck  and  there,  deep  in  reverie,  stood 
looking  up  at  the  moon's  bright  face. 

In  the  neighbouring  vessel  all  were  asleep  save 
Miyuki  alone.  She  had  not  yet  retired  and,  her 
little  heart  full  of  thoughts  of  her  lover,  she  was 
singing  his  "morning-glory"  song  to  the  strains 
of  a  koto  or  zither.  As  the  song  came  to  his  ears 
Asojiro  inclined  his  head  and  looked  wonderingly 
down  into  the  other  ship.  At  that  very  moment 
Miyuki  cast  her  eyes  upon  the  deck  of  Asojiro's 
vessel. 

"Surely  it  is  Miyuki  that  I  see?" 
"Oh!  can  it  possibly  be  you,  Asojiro?" 
Before  this  question  had  passed  her  lips,  Miyuki 
had  sprung  into  the  other  ship  and  the  pair  of 
faithful  lovers  were  rejoicing  at  their  meeting, 
thus   miraculously   brought   about.     To   explain 
her  presence  there  Miyuki  recounted  to  Asojiro 
the   circumstances  that  had  led  to  her  voyage 
home,  then  added  with  emotion : 

"This  meeting  of  ours  in  a  manner  so  unfore- 
seen shows  that  ours  is  a  union  that  brooks  no 
separation,  that  some  mysterious  bond  links  us 
one  to  the  other.  It  is  my  hope  that,  for  the 


220  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

future,  where  you  go  I  also  go.  Grant  me  this, 
Asojiro,  my  lord." 

"It  rejoices  me  to  hear  you  speak  like  that,  my 
dear,"  replied  Asojiro,  "but  I  am  now  on  my  way 
home  charged  with  a  weighty  mission  that  affects 
the  very  destiny  of  my  lord.  My  duty  as  a 
samurai  forbids  my  carrying  a  sweetheart  with 
me.  But  we  cannot  fail  to  meet  again.  Let  us 
wait  against  that  time,  Miyuki." 

But  the  girl  set  her  face  against  this  proposal. 
"  If  you  do  not  grant  my  request,"  she  said  bitterly, 
"I  shall  find  no  joy  in  life!  The  best  thing  I  can 
do  is  to  make  an  end  of  living!"  And  with  this 
she  drew  herself  together  to  plunge  into  the  sea. 
But  Asojiro  caught  her  in  his  arms. 

"My  darling,"  said  he,  "if  your  heart  is  so  set 
upon  me,  I  shall  take  you  with  me  to  my  home, 
let  the  world  say  against  me  what  it  will!  But 
surely  it  will  be  a  great  grief  to  your  parents  if 
you  thus  take  to  flight,  all  unknown  to  them.  Had 
you  not  better  leave  them  a  letter,  my  dear?" 
As  he  spoke,  he  felt  in  his  bosom  for  a  pen  and 
paper  but  found  none. 

"Ah!"  he  said,  sorely  perplexed.  "I  must 
have  dropped  them  into  the  water  just  now, 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW  221 

when  I  held  you  in  my  embrace.  What  is  to  be 
done!" 

"Well,"  said  Miyuki,  "it  is  fortunate  that  my 
parents  and  all  the  others  on  board  are  fast  asleep. 
I  will  return  with  all  stealth  to  our  ship  and  write 
a  letter  there.  Soon  I  will  be  back,  so  wait  for 
me  only  a  little  while." 

As  she  said  this  she  leaped  back  into  the  other 
vessel,  but  alas!  wakened  by  the  sound  of  her 
footsteps,  the  crew  of  Asojiro's  ship  aroused  them- 
selves, stirred  up,  and  shouted:  "Aha!  a  wind  at 
last!  Up  anchor!  Let  out  the  sail!" 

Miyuki  heard  these  shouts  with  frantic  grief, 
but  as  she  writhed  in  sorrow  and  despair,  the  ship 
that  carried  Asojiro  drew  farther  and  farther  off. 
Scarce  knowing  what  she  did,  she  threw  into  the 
receding  vessel  the  fan  whereon  the  morning- 
glories  were  painted,  and  thus  again  these  passion- 
ate lovers  were  separated  by  Fate. 


Ill 


IN  no  long  time  after  his  return  to  his  clan  Aki- 
zuki  Yuminosuke  had  achieved  his  task  of  quelling 
the  popular  uprising.  This  won  for  him  great 
favour  with  his  lord,  and  in  recognition  of  his 
signal  services  he  had  conferred  upon  him  again 
the  office  of  Chief-Councillor.  His  fellow  clans- 
men, too,  looked  up  to  him  with  love  and  respect. 
But  amid  all  his  success  he  fell  short  of  happiness, 
for  his  beloved  daughter,  Miyuki,  had  lapsed  into 
a  profound  melancholy.  Day  and  night,  with 
all  her  heart,  she  pined  for  Asojiro,  and  her  eyes 
were  never  free  from  tears. 

It  happened  one  day  that  Yuminosuke  was  not 
at  his  house,  having  gone  to  the  castle.  Taking 
advantage,  it  is  likely,  of  his  absence,  Ashigara 
Denzo  chose  this  time  for  a  call.  He  was  a  knave, 
outrageous  in  his  manners,  who  set  everybody  at 
naught  and,  presuming  on  the  position  of  his 
sister  0-Ran,  lorded  it  over  his  colleagues.  He 
had  long  looked  upon  Miyuki  with  eyes  of  love, 
and  had  many  a  time,  through  a  middleman, 


222 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  223 

asked  for  her  hand  in  marriage,  but  all  to  no 
avail.  But  now  the  importunate  suitor  had  come 
in  person,  bent  upon  receiving  a  favourable  reply. 
With  arrogant  insistence  he  urged  the  girl's 
mother,  Misao  ("Chastity"),  to  give  an  instant 
consent  to  his  suit.  The  old  lady,  in  all  courtesy, 
besought  him  to  grant  a  postponement  of  the 
decision,  on  the  plea  of  her  husband's  absence  and 
the  indisposition  of  Miyuki  herself.  But  her 
pleading  was  thrown  away  upon  Denzo.  He  rose 
to  his  feet  declaring  that  he  would  make  his  way 
into  the  girl's  chamber,  to  see  for  himself  whether 
she  was  ill  or  not.  Woman  though  she  was, 
Misao  could  not  brook  this  insolence. 

"Remember,  Denzo,"  she  cried,  "that  this 
house  is  Akizuki  Yuminosuke's  castle.  Rudeness 
such  as  yours  I  cannot  put  up  with." 

With  this  angry  exclamation  she  snatched  a 
halberd  that  hung  on  the  wall,  shook  it  from  its 
sheath,  and  levelled  it  full  at  the  dastard's  heart. 
At  this  danger,  he  was  struck  with  consternation 
and  cried  out:  "Oh,  I  beg  a  thousand  pardons, 
Madame!  Since  Miyuki  is  really  ill,  I  shall  call 
again.  Again  I  beg  your  pardon!"  And  with 
that  he  beat  an  instant  retreat. 


224  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Shortly  after  the  departure  of  this  suitor,  Yumi- 
nosuke  returned  home  in  the  best  of  spirits.  His 
wife  received  him  at  his  entry,  with  an  enquiry 
as  to  his  lord's  health. 

"  Oh !  his  lordship  is  very  well  indeed,  my  dear," 
returned  Yuminosuke,  beaming  with  smiles,  "and 
my  attendance  to-day  seemed  to  give  him  special 
delight,  so  that  he  even  bestowed  upon  me  cups 
of  sake.  But  I  have  a  piece  of  good  news  for  you. 
My  news  is  this:  In  my  lord's  presence  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  making  the  acquaintance  of  Komazawa 
Jirozayemon,  a  samurai  who  has  come  on  a  mis- 
sion of  importance  from  the  Yamaguchi  Clan. 
He  is  young,  of  exceptionally  fine  appearance, 
and,  better  than  all,  an  adept  in  military  arts  and 
well-versed  in  literature.  Our  lord  seems  to  hold 
his  character  in  the  highest  esteem.  While  we 
all  three  drank  together,  we  talked  with  the  utmost 
frankness.  Our  lord,  who  has  very  much  in  mind 
the  marriage  of  our  daughter,  inquired  of  this 
gentleman  if  he  was  a  married  man.  On  receiving 
an  answer  in  the  negative,  our  lord  spoke  in  the 
highest  terms  of  Miyuki's  person  and  character, 
and  signified  his  willingness  to  use  his  efforts  as 
middleman  to  bring  about  the  marriage  of  this 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  225 

young  samurai  with  our  daughter.  Strange  to 
say,  the  young  man  without  the  least  hesitation 
accepted  this  proposal,  abrupt  as  it  was,  and 
expressed  himself  so  heartily  grateful.  As  for 
me,  I  was  too  much  filled  with  joy  to  think  of 
declining  this  gracious  proffer.  So  in  the  presence 
of  our  lord,  I  exchanged  with  Komazawa  Jirozay6- 
mon  cups  of  betrothal  and  now  it  falls  upon  you 
to  impart  to  Miyuki  the  news  of  this  arrangement 
and  fill  her  cup  of  happiness.  The  sooner  you  do 
this  the  better." 

To  tell  the  truth,  the  joy  and  gratitude  of  the 
wife  were  extreme  at  hearing  of  her  lord's  good 
offices;  but  still  she  harboured  some  misgivings 
as  to  her  daughter's  inclination  in  the  matter. 

"This  is  joyful  news  to  me,  my  dear,"  she  said, 
"and  a  right  good  match  it  would  be.  But  if  you 
will  pardon  the  frankness  of  my  words,  I  should 
think  that  you  acted  somewhat  rashly  in  accepting 
this  match  without  sounding  Miyuki's  wishes 
beforehand.  Is  it  not  so?" 

"Well,  that  idea  did  occur  to  me,  my  dear,  but 
the  proposal  comes  from  our  lord,  and  the  bride- 
groom-to-be is  so  superior  both  in  looks  and  intel- 
ligence that  I  cannot  doubt  that  he  will  find  favour 
is 


226  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

in  Miyuki's  eyes.  Make  your  mind  easy  on  that 
point."  And  without  further  words  the  father 
retired  to  the  inner  room  to  rest. 

Misao  had  gathered  from  her  maids  that  Miyuki 
had  been  passionately  in  love  with  Asojiro,  ever 
since  her  visit  to  the  Uji  River,  and  in  her  motherly 
sympathy  had  it  in  mind  to  do  her  best  to  ascer- 
tain the  lover's  whereabouts  and  bring  about  his 
marriage  to  her  daughter.  But  now  that  Yumi- 
nosuke  had  formally  betrothed  his  daughter  in 
the  presence  of  his  lord,  the  engagement  was  too 
binding  to  be  broken.  So  Misao  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  there  was  nothing  left  for  her  but 
to  break  the  news  of  the  arrangement  to  Miyuki 
and  prevail  on  her  to  submit.  And  tell  her  she 
did. 

"You  see,"  she  continued  in  kind  and  consoling 
tones,  "our  lord  himself  has  condescended  to 
select  a  bridegroom  for  you;  and  I  am  told  that 
the  bridegroom  of  his  choice  is  a  thorough  gentle- 
man, an  adept  in  military  arts  and  of  very  hand- 
some person.  With  all  this  you.  surely  ought  to 
give  a  ready  consent.  But  a  little  time  ago  the 
black-hearted  Denzo  presented  himself  here,  and 
insistently  urged  his  suit  for  your  hand  and  it 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  227 

was  no  easy  task  for  me  to  get  rid  of  him  by  threats. 
I  fear  that,  presuming  upon  his  sister's  influence, 
he  will  try  to  steal  a  march  upon  us  again  with 
some  unreasonable  demand.  If  the  news  of  your 
betrothal  comes  to  his  ear  he  is  certain  to  try  to 
frustrate  it.  So  your  wisest  course  is  to  give  a 
prompt  consent  to  your  father's  arrangement. 
Can  you  think  that  we  could  do  anything  to  the 
detriment  of  our  beloved  daughter?  It  is  best 
for  you  to  entrust  everything  to  us.  Come, 
daughter,  speak  up  quickly  and  say  that  you 
consent!  But  there  is  a  matter  about  which  I 
wish  to  ask  your  father's  advice.  I  shall  be  back 
in  a  moment,  my  dear."  With  that  the  old  lady 
disappeared  into  the  inner  room  to  see  her  husband. 
Ill-fated  Miyuki!  She  did  not  know  of  the 
adoption  of  her  lover  Miyagi  Asojiro,  by  his  uncle, 
and  the  consequent  alteration  of  his  name  to 
Komazawa  Jirozayemon.  To  her  Jirozayemon 
and  Asojiro  were  different  men.  Hence  her 
mother's  words  struck  despair  into  her  heart. 
She  reflected  that  at  all  costs  she  must  hold  to  her 
vows  with  Asojiro.  In  accordance  with  the  pre- 
cept that  "a  chaste  woman  never  marries  twice," 
she  ought  not  to  enter  into  marriage  with  another 


228  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

man.  But  her  father,  through  the  good  offices  of 
her  lord,  had  now  betrothed  her  to  a  stranger! 
No  way  of  escape  was  left  for  her  as  long  as  life 
endured.  So  finally  she  formed  the  desperate 
resolve  to  take  her  own  life,  that  so  she  might  to 
the  end  remain  faithful  to  Asojiro.  Thereupon, 
all  in  tears,  she  set  herself  to  writing  letters  to  her 
parents,  and  her  nurse,  imparting  to  them  her 
melancholy  purpose,  and  imploring  their  forgive- 
ness for  her  disobedience.  This  done,  she  softly 
made  her  way  down  to  the  courtyard,  and  stole 
out  through  the  postern  gate,  while  yet  the  evening 
bell  was  mournfully  tolling  the  departing  day, 
and  the  air  was  full  of  the  saddening  cries  of  birds 
winging  their  way  to  their  nests. 

No  long  time  had  passed  when  Asaka,  candle- 
stick in  hand,  entered  Miyuki's  room,  crying, 
"Miyuki!  Miyuki!"  but  her  charge  was  no- 
where to  be  seen.  Everywhere  she  searched,  and 
what  was  her  amazement  to  find  on  the  desk  a 
letter  in  Miyuki's  hand,  bearing  the  superscrip- 
tion: "Left  to  my  Dear  Parents!"  In  answer 
to  her  piercing  cry:  "My  lord!  My  lady!" 
Yuminosuke  and  Misao  rushed  into  the  room. 
The  father  made  no  delay  in  opening  the  ominous 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  229 

letter,  which  was  couched  in  some  such  terms  as 
these : 

"Mv  DEAR  PARENTS: 

I  have  exchanged  vows  of  betrothal  with 
Miyagi  AsojirO.  To  marry  another  man  would 
mean  the  violation  of  my  duty  as  a  chaste  woman. 
Therefore  I  have  come  to  the  resolve  to  end  my 
life  by  drowning  in  some  stream.  Let  my  dis- 
obedience meet  with  your  forgiveness. 

Your  daughter,  devoted  to  death, 

MIYUKI." 

Great  was  the  astonishment  of  the  parents. 
Yuminosuke,  all  in  a  panic,  could  only  say: 
"Good  heavens!  what  a  blunder  I  have  made! 
But  Miyuki,  I  hope,  is  not  yet  far  off.  Let  search 
be  made  for  her  at  once!"  His  faithful  servant 
Sekisuke  and  the  other  members  of  the  household 
were  despatched  in  all  directions  in  quest  of  the 
girl,  and  grief  and  horror  filled  the  minds  of  all. 


IV 


MIYUKI,  after  stealing  out  of  her  father's  house, 
ran  in  blind  haste,  staggering  and  stumbling  in 
continual  fear  of  pursuit  and  capture.  But  as 
she  ran  she  was  so  unlucky  as  to  be  overtaken  by 
two  reprobates  who  were  fain  to  kidnap  her. 
With  some  difficulty  she  made  shift  to  escape  from 
their  toils,  and  at  last  found  herself  on  the  bank  of 
the  Ose  River.  The  winter  moon,  like  "an  old 
bepainted  carline,"  was  shedding  on  the  stream 
its  weird  beams,  and  the  leafless  branches  of  the 
willow-trees  on  the  bank  were  trembling  in  the 
wind. 

This  river  the  girl  had  chosen  to  be  her  grave. 
Taking  hold  of  one  of  the  willow-boughs,  she  was 
just  in  act  to  leap  into  the  stream,  when  suddenly 
she  felt  herself  firmly  grasped  and  held.  Her 
captor  was  an  old  woman.  Miyuki  struggled 
hard  to  shake  her  off,  crying:  "I  pray  you,  let  me 
go."  But  the  old  crone  grasped  her  only  the  more 
firmly  and  said  in  ingratiating  tones:  "My  dear 

young  lady,  you  seem  to  be  travelling  alone.     It  is 

230 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  231 

a  lover  that  leads  you  on  this  chase,  I  suppose. 
But  if  you  choose  to  live,  there  is  no  reason  in  the 
world  why  you  should  not  in  the  end  join  your 
lover.  I  give  you  my  word,  I  will  search  him  out 
and  bring  about  your  meeting.  Take  no  rash 
step,  my  girl!" 

Miyuki,  innocent  and  simple  minded  as  she 
was,  had  no  suspicion  of  any  trick  on  the  part  of 
the  old  woman,  and  lent  a  ready  ear  to  her  plausi- 
ble words.  She  had  no  more  thought  of  suicide. 

At  this  moment,  the  two  scoundrels,  who  had 
molested  her  before,  appeared,  and  after  scanning 
Miyuki's  features  said:  "Oh!  here  you  are!  This 
time  you  shall  not  escape  us.  Come  along,  wench ! ' ' 
They  would  have  carried  her  off  indeed,  had  not 
the  old  woman  thrust  them  aside,  and  with  a 
menacing  look  roared  out:  "What  is  your  business 
with  this  girl?" 

"What,  old  beldame!  The  girl  belongs  to  us 
because  she  is  a  bird  limed  on  our  twig.  Come, 
pass  her  over  to  us!" 

With  that,  the  two  caitiffs  set  upon  the  old 
woman.  But  lo  and  behold!  she  pinioned  their 
arms  and  sent  all  two  to  the  ground  with  a  thud. 
Though  her  strength  alarmed  them,  they  rose  to 


232  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

their  feet  and  prepared  to  renew  the  attack.  But 
she  flung  at  their  feet  a  packet,  crying  the  while: 
"There  is  the  girl's  ransom!"  The  ruffians  were 
startled  at  the  jingling  sound  that  they  heard 
when  the  packet  fell.  They  picked  it  up  and 
found  in  it  ten  gold  coins.  With  a  muttered 
grumble,  "It's  small  enough,  but  we'll  take  it," 
they  took  themselves  off. 

The  old  woman,  casting  a  quick  glance  around, 
produced  a  whistle  on  which  she  blew  shrilly. 
At  that  signal,  several  sailors  appeared,  part  of 
the  crew  of  a  ship  that  lay  moored  in  the  river. 
Miyuki  was  conducted  to  the  vessel.  Then  the 
anchor  was  weighed,  the  oars  were  plied,  and  the 
ship  drove  out  to  open  sea. 

Just  at  this  time,  Sekisuke,  Yuminosuke's 
servant,  appeared  on  the  bank,  and  called  loudly 
to  the  crew;  but  they  made  as  if  they  could  not 
hear  him  and  bent  to  their  oars  with  might  and 
main.  But  Miyuki  put  her  head  out  of  the  cabin 
window,  and  peering  through  the  moonlight, 
cried:  "Oh!  That  is  Sekisuke,  is  it  not?"  Then 
the  sailors  forced  her  in  and  slammed  the  window 
to. 

Now  this  old  woman,  whose  name  was  Arataye, 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  233 

had  formerly  been  chief  maid-of -honour  to  Otomo 
Muneshige,  the  lord  of  the  province  of  Buzen. 
Some  years  before,  Otomo  had  hoisted  the  stand- 
ard of  revolt  against  the  Shogun.  This  rebellion 
quickly  ended  in  his  defeat  and  death  at  the  hands 
of  Ouchi  Yoshitaka,  then  Governor-General  of 
Chinzei.  This  Yoshitaka  was  the  father  of  Aso- 
jiro's  lord,  Yoshi-oki. 

Arataye,  a  heroine  in  her  way,  resolved  to  fan 
anew  the  flame  of  rebellion  and  to  sap  the  power 
of  the  Ouchi  house,  the  enemies  of  her  dead  lord. 
With  this  intent  she  had  called  a  muster  of  the 
surviving  adherents  of  Otomo,  and  had  estab- 
lished her  headquarters  in  a  cave  on  Mayasan,  a 
high  and  steep  mountain,  that  extends  across  the 
provinces  of  Settsu  and  Harima.  To  raise  the 
sinews  of  war  she  and  her  followers  stopped  at 
nothing  in  the  way  of  violence  and  cruelty.  Some- 
times it  was  a  traveller  done  to  death  for  the  sake 
of  his  money  and  garments;  sometimes  it  was  a 
young  girl  kidnapped  and  sold  to  procurers.  It 
was  to  their  terrible  mountain  fastness  that  Miyuki 
was  now  conducted. 

After  an  imprisonment  of  several  days  in  the 
cave,  she  was  disposed  of  to  a  procurer  named 


234  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Wanuk£  at  the  price  of  a  hundred  ryo.  This 
trader  had  in  mind  to  clear  a  large  profit  by  selling 
the  girl  for  a  harlot.  But  a  maiden  who  had  held 
her  life  cheap  as  the  price  of  her  chastity,  could 
not  be  expected  to  take  kindly  to  such  shameful 
courses.  Blows,  threats,  persuasions,  were  alike 
powerless  to  bend  her  to  the  trader's  will.  To  him 
she  proved  indeed  "a  useless  treasure."  Finally 
he  gave  her  up  and  led  her  back  to  Arataye's  cave, 
demanding  the  restoration  of  the  purchase- 
money.  The  old  woman,  at  this,  flew  into  a  rage 
and  caught  the  girl  by  the  arm.  "You  thankless 
hussy!"  she  roared.  "So  you  presume  to  object 
to  being  a  woman  of  pleasure!  It  is  clear  that  a 
very  severe  lesson  is  needed  to  bring  you  to  your 
senses ! ' '  With  that  she  snatched  the  red-hot  tongs 
from  the  hearth  and  pointed  them  at  Miyuki's 
face.  "Come,  will  you  drive  me  to  sear  that 
pretty  face  of  yours  with  these  tongs,  or  brand 
your  cheeks  with  them?" 

"Oh,  madame,  forgive  me!"  cried  Miyuki, 
starting  back  and  wailing  bitterly. 

"Well,  if  you  are  so  much  afraid  of  the  tongs 
will  your  fear  drive  you  to  consent  to  go  to  Naga- 
saki as  a  harlot?" 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  235 

"O,  no,  no!"  Miyuki  sobbed.  "I  am  told  that 
Chinese  vessels  visit  Nagasaki.  Nothing  can 
humiliate  a  woman  so  much  as  to  have  her  per- 
son polluted  by  the  embrace  of  Chinese  sailors! 
Pray  spare  me  that,  whatever  may  befall  me. 
Send  me  to  service  as  a  common  drudge.  Gladly 
will  I  cook  rice,  wash  clothes,  draw  water,  or 
perform  like  menial  service." 

"No  more  words!"  said  the  old  woman,  with  a 
sardonic  smile.  "It's  little  money  I'd  get  by 
selling  you  for  such  housemaid's  tasks.  What  a 
pig-headed  creature  you  are !  Do  you  still  persist 
in  disobeying  me?"  And  thereupon  she  seized 
the  weeping  girl  by  the  hair  and  dragged  her 
about. 

Upon  this  Chisato  ("Thousand  Villages"),  the 
old  crone's  daughter,  rushed  in.  She  was  a  sym- 
pathetic, sweet-dispositioned  girl,  and  she  set 
Miyuki  free  from  her  raging  mother,  with  many 
an  apology  for  the  outrage.  But  still  the  old 
woman  would  listen  to  no  remonstrance.  She 
thrust  her  daughter  aside  and  with  the  tongs 
showered  blow  after  blow  upon  Miyuki.  The 
delicate  girl  uttered  but  one  groan  and  lost  con- 
sciousness. Chisato  flew  to  her  side  and  did  all 


236  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

in  her  power  to  rouse  her  from  her  swoon;  but 
she  was  long  in  coming  to  herself. 

Just  at  this  juncture  one  of  Arataye's  followers 
appeared.  He  had  run  all  the  way  from  the  foot 
of  the  mountain  to  tell  her  that  his  comrades  had 
intercepted  a  traveller  in  the  valley.  They  had 
picked  a  quarrel  with  him  to  furnish  them  with  a 
pretext  for  robbing  him  of  his  money,  but  he  had 
so  far  proved  too  much  for  them.  So  they  wanted 
the  old  woman  to  come  to  their  help  without  delay. 
His  message  delivered,  the  emissary  hurried  back 
to  the  valley. 

"What  helpless  weaklings!"  exclaimed  the 
impatient  old  woman.  "  But  I  suppose  I  must  go 
to  their  help."  She  seized  a  sword,  kilted  up  her 
skirts,  and  departed  at  a  run.  When  she  was  gone, 
Chisato,  with  the  aid  of  a  kind-hearted  young  man, 
devoted  herself  most  tenderly  to  caring  for  Miyuki. 
She  treated  her  with  water  and  drugs,  until  at 
long  last  the  girl  regained  consciousness.  Chisato 
was  anxious  lest,  if  the  old  woman  should  find  her 
there  on  her  return,  she  might  resume  her  ill 
treatment ;  so  she  made  up  her  mind  to  let  Miyuki 
escape  as  soon  as  possible.  With  all  kindness  she 
informed  her  of  the  road  and  urged  her  to  take 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  237 

to  flight  without  loss  of  time.  Miyuki,  whose 
gratitude  to  the  girl  was  little  short  of  worship, 
gladly  availed  herself  of  this  chance  of  escape, 
feeling  as  if  she  had  been  freed  from  the  jaws  of  a 
poisonous  serpent. 


MIYUKI,  though  she  had  got  clean  away,  was 
now  much  at  a  loss  whither  to  turn  her  steps,  but 
at  last  she  determined  to  betake  herself  to  the 
Tokaido. 

The  Tokaido  was  the  route  followed  by  the 
feudal  lords  of  the  western  provinces  on  their  way 
to  make  their  visits  of  homage  to  the  Kanryo  or 
Vice-Shogun  at  Kamakura.  This  potentate  had 
at  that  period  more  power  than  the  Shogun  him- 
self, and  the  samurai  of  the  western  clans,  in  the 
train  of  their  liege-lords,  went  and  came  along 
the  same  highway,  year  in  and  year  out.  It  is 
probable  that  Miyuki  chose  this  route  in  the  sup- 
position that,  sooner  or  later,  she  would  encounter 
her  lover  Asojiro,  who,  as  she  believed,  had  gone 
to  Kamakura  to  expostulate  with  his  lord. 

Day  after  day  she  trudged  along  forlorn  and 
footsore.  It  was  only  after  hardships  manifold 
that  she  made  her  way  to  Hamamatsu  in  the 
province  of  Totomi.  But  there  she  was  stricken 

with  blindness,  the  result  of  her  incessant  weeping 

238 


A  mob  of  urchins  pelted  her  with  stones 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  239 

over  her  sufferings  and  of  her  longing  for  Asojiro. 
She  had  now  spent  the  last  penny  of  the  money 
that  Chisato  had  given  her  to  speed  her  flight. 
Nothing  remained  for  her  but  the  wretched  re- 
source of  begging  for  alms  from  door  to  door 
with  staff  in  hand  and  to  the  music  of  a  samisen, 
well-nigh  worn-out,  singing  the  "Morning-glory 
Song." 

One  afternoon,  in  her  usual  routine,  she  walked 
about  asking  alms,  with  samisen  on  shoulder,  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Hamamatsu.  A  mob  of 
urchins  collected  about  her  and  with  the  cry  of, 
"Hey,  Morning-glory  Beggar!  Blind  Stroller!" 
pelted  her  with  stones  and  struck  at  her  with 
bamboo  staves.  Only  a  world  of  entreaties  rein- 
forced with  tears,  induced  the  little  fiends  to  give 
up  their  cruel  sport. 

As  Miyuki  sat  by  her  hut,  brooding  over  the 
bitterness  of  her  fate,  she  heard  in  the  distance  the 
mournful  sound  of  a  Buddhist  chant.  Nearer  and 
nearer  it  came,  and  presently  a  woman  of  middle- 
age,  garbed  in  the  dress  of  a  Buddhist  pilgrim, 
approached  Miyuki. 

"I  have  a  question,"  said  she,  "that  I  should 
like  to  ask  of  you." 


240  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

"What  is  your  question?"  asked  the  blind  girl, 
as  she  wiped  away  her  tears. 

"Well,"  said  the  woman,  "I  wish  to  ask  i?  you 
have  not  heard  of  a  beautiful  young  girl  of  noble 
bearing  roaming  about  in  this  neighbourhood 
companionless. " 

This  question  startled  Miyuki  as  she  fancied 
that  it  might  very  well  refer  to  herself,  but  she 
answered  with  assumed  composure : 

"Well,  people  not  a  few  come  and  go  along  this 
road,  you  see;  and  among  all  these  there  may  be 
found  many  girls  travelling  alone.  But  tell  me 
the  name  of  this  particular  girl,  and  what  province 
she  hails  from." 

"  Her  name  is  Akizuki  Miyuki,  and  she  is  of  the 
Kishido  Clan  in  Aki  Province." 

Great  was  the  amazement  of  the  blind  girl, 
when  she  realized  from  these  words  that  the 
questioner  was  none  other  than  her  nurse,  Asaka, 
who  had  come  in  search  of  Miyuki  herself.  Up 
to  this  point,  owing  to  her  blindness,  she  had  failed 
to  recognize  Asaka,  though  speaking  with  her 
face  to  face;  nor,  on  the  other  hand,  did  Asaka 
recognize  her,  owing  to  the  great  change  in  her 
appearance.  Her  blindness,  especially,  had  trans- 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  241 

formed  her,  though  Asaka,  it  is  true,  noticed  in 
her  features  some  points  of  resemblance  to  Miyuki. 

Miyuki  was  now  convinced  that  the  stranger 
was  indeed  her  nurse,  but  shame  of  her  wretched 
condition  forbade  her  to  confess  the  truth.  She 
felt  besides,  that  if  she  told  her  name  Asaka  would 
insist  on  her  returning  home.  But  how,  in  such 
a  condition,  could  she  dare  to  face  her  parents? 
The  mere  thought  of  such  an  ordeal  made  her 
determine  to  tell  Asaka  a  falsehood  and  lead  her 
to  abandon  her  search. 

"I  am  sorry,"  she  said  in  a  husky  voice,  "but 
I  heard  a  rumour  that  the  girl  you  refer  to  threw 
herself  into  a  river  some  days  ago  and  was  drowned, 
though  the  motive  of  her  act  is  not  known." 

The  pilgrim,  at  this  sad  news,  was  stupefied  with 
astonishment  and  broke  into  bitter  wailings. 
Miyuki  attempted  to  console  her  with  soothing 
speeches,  reminding  her  that  life  and  death  are 
predetermined  by  Fate.  She  ended  by  kindly 
advising  her  to  return  home,  then  left  her,  and 
groped  her  way  into  her  wretched  shed. 

Asaka  followed  her  to  the  door  of  the  hovel. 
"Many  thanks,  my  girl,"  she  said,  "for  your  kind 
advice.  I  hope  that  you  will  take  good  care  of 


242  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

yourself.  Good-bye."  With  that  she  was  taking 
her  departure  when  an  idea  seemed  to  strike  her; 
she  softly  retraced  her  steps  and  sat  down  before 
the  shed,  still  and  silent.  All  unaware  of  this 
Miyuki  rushed  out  and  stood  with  sightless  eyes 
straining  in  the  direction  in  which  she  supposed 
her  nurse  had  gone. 

"Oh,  Asaka!  My  own  Asaka!"  she  wailed. 
"All  was  false  that  I  told  you  just  now!  I  am 
that  very  Miyuki  for  whom  you  are  searching. 
How  I  should  rejoice  to  be  able  to  tell  you  this! 
but  in  this  wretched  state  how  can  I  dare  to  reveal 
myself?  Selfish,  yes,  I  am  very  selfish  not  to 
disclose  the  truth  to  you  who  have  come  hundreds 
of  miles  in  search  of  me !  But  I  have  not  courage 
enough  to  tell  you  my  name.  Forgive  me,  Asaka! 
Oh,  forgive  me!" 

Then  the  tears,  which  all  that  time  she  had 
restrained,  burst  forth  in  bitter  torrents,  so  that 
Asaka,  upon  whom  none  of  this  soliloquy  had 
been  lost,  could  no  longer  control  her  emotion. 
In  spite  of  herself,  a  loud  cry  of  sympathy  escaped 
her. 

All  aghast  at  this,  Miyuki  was  in  act  to  run 
away;  but  Asaka  followed  her  fleeing  footsteps 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  243 

and  laid  hold  upon  her  sleeve.  "There  is  no  need 
to  run  away,  Miyuki,  my  dear  child,"  she  said, 
in  a  voice  all  broken  with  emotion.  "But  oh, 
what  a  miserable  plight  you  are  in!  Well  I  can 
imagine  how  great  your  sufferings  have  been.  At 
sight  of  you  I  feel  as  if  my  heart  would  burst  with 
sorrow.  But,  my  dear,  be  easy  in  your  mind. 
Only  a  little  way  from  here  is  the  place  called 
Sayono-Nakayama,  where  I  have  been  told  my 
father  Furube  Saburobei  is  still  living.  We  will 
go  there  and  see  him,  and  I  feel  confident  that 
with  his  assistance  I  shall  be  able  to  find  where 
AsojirO  is,  and  to  bring  about  your  meeting  with 
him.  So  be  of  good  heart,  my  dear." 

Just  at  this  juncture,  Wanuk6,  the  procurer, 
chanced  to  pass  that  way.  He  looked  hard  into 
Miyuki's  face.  "Ho!  Ho!"  said  he.  "This  is 
the  girl  that  I  bought  for  a  hundred  ryo  from  the 
old  crone  on  Mt.  Maya.  It's  a  great  pity,  indeed, 
that  you  have  become  blind.  But  that  is  an  evil 
that  physicians,  I  hope,  can  remedy.  At  all 
events,  with  me  you  must  go."  But  as  he  caught 
Miyuki  by  the  hand,  Asaka  broke  in  upon  him. 
"Women  though  we  are,"  she  cried,  "insolence 
such  as  yours  cannot  be  overlooked,"  and  she 


244  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

laid  her  hand  upon  the  hilt  of  her  sword-cane. 
Wanuke,  too,  unsheathed  his  sword,  and  for  some 
time  the  pair  cut  and  thrust  at  each  other.  Then 
the  procurer  stumbled  over  a  stone  and  fell  head- 
foremost to  the  ground  and,  following  up  this 
advantage,  Asaka  dealt  him  a  heavy  blow  that 
killed  him  on  the  spot.  But  she  also  fell  senseless 
to  the  ground  with  a  groan  of  mortal  agony. 

Groping  blindly  about  Miyuki  made  her  way 
to  her  nurse,  lifted  her  to  her  knees,  and  cried  with 
all  the  power  of  her  voice.  "Asaka!  Oh,  Asaka!" 
At  this  the  woman's  wandering  senses  came  back 
to  her,  and  she  opened  her  eyes.  "You  are  very 
kind,  my  dear,"  she  said,  "but  my  wound  is  but 
a  slight  one.  Don't  be  anxious  on  my  account. 
But  if  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst,  don't  fail  to 
go  and  see  my  father,  Furube  Saburobei.  I  am 
sure  that  he  will  do  for  you  all  that  lies  in  his 
power.  Be  sure  to  call  on  him,  my  dear.  And 
now  let  us  go  to  my  inn,  and  there  spend  all  the 
night  in  talk."  With  that,  Asaka  rose  to  her 
feet  and  leaning  on  her  sword,  staggered  away 
through  the  moonlight,  with  Miyuki  by  her  side. 


VI 


AND  now  let  us  return  to  Komazawa  Jirozaye'- 
mon.  At  his  uncle's  order,  he  hurried  to  Kama- 
kura  where  he  found  to  his  consternation  that  the 
profligacy  of  his  lord,  Ouchi  Yoshi-oki,  was  even 
worse  than  it  had  been  represented.  Yoshi-oki, 
under  the  spell  of  a  beautiful  courtezan  called 
Segawa,  was  abandoning  himself  day  and  night 
to  vicious  courses.  This  mode  of  life,  if  nothing 
occurred  to  check  it,  was  certain  to  result  in  the 
ruin  of  his  house  and  the  forfeiture  of  his  fief. 
Jirozayemon  had  to  tax  all  his  brains  before  he 
hit  upon  a  plan  for  intervention.  By  clever  deal- 
ing with  the  harlot,  who  was,  at  heart,  of  an  honest 
and  unselfish  nature,  he  won  her  over  at  last  to 
his  support.  One  day,  in  the  midst  of  Yoshi-oki's 
merry-making,  Jirozayemon  and  the  girl,  making 
common  cause,  expostulated  with  him  strongly, 
though  in  this  the  vassal  risked  his  very  life. 
But  their  words  opened  the  eyes  of  the  young 
nobleman  to  his  folly,  and  he  determined  from  that 

hour  to  turn  over  a  new  leaf. 

245 


246  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

The  joy  of  Jirozayemon  at  this  decision  knew 
no  bounds.  He  advised  his  lord  forthwith  to 
return  to  his  clan,  and  to  this  suggestion  he  gave 
a  prompt  assent.  The  Yamaguchi  Clan  was  filled 
with  delight  at  the  news  and  the  services  of  Jiro- 
zayemon were  spoken  of  in  terms  of  highest  praise. 

Soon  after  Yoshioki's  departure  on  his  return 
to  his  clan,  Jirozayemon  also  started  for  his  home, 
having  as  travelling  companion  a  colleague  named 
Iwashiro  Takita.  This  Takita  was  a  black- 
hearted villain,  and  he  it  was  who  had  insinuated 
Yoshioki  into  dissolute  ways  and  well-nigh  wrought 
his  ruin.  In  secret  communication  with  the  old 
virago  of  Mt.  Maya,  and  her  followers,  he  had 
been  traitorously  plotting  the  downfall  of  the 
Ouchi  house.  It  was  but  natural,  then,  that  he 
should  conceive  a  strong  animosity  against  JirO- 
zayemon,  who  had,  all  unwittingly,  thwarted  his 
fell  designs. 

The  two  samurai,  in  the  course  of  their  journey, 
arrived  at  the  post-town  of  Shimada,  on  the 
Tokaido,  and  put  up  at  an  inn  called  Ebisuya. 
During  their  sojourn  in  this  inn  it  was  Takita's 
purpose  to  kill  Jirozayemon,  and  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  this  foul  deed  he  had  hired  two  con- 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  247 

federates.  One  of  these,  a  physician,  was  engaged 
to  furnish  poison  and  serve  it  in  the  tea.  With 
this  intent  he  secretly  put  the  compound  in  a 
kettle  of  boiling  water  from  which  the  tea  was 
to  be  made.  The  other  bravo,  a  fencer,  was  to 
steal  in  at  midnight  under  the  floor,1  and  from 
this  lurking-place  to  stab  Jirozayemon  in  case 
the  poison  failed  to  prove  effective.  Hapless 
Jirozayemon!  Death  indeed  stared  him  in  the 
face! 

But  the  landlord,  a  worthy  old  fellow  named 
Tokuyemon,  had  from  the  first  seen  through 
Takita's  dark  plot,  and  made  up  his  mind  to  save 
Jirozayemon's  life.  By  a  happy  chance  he  saw 
the  poisoner  pour  the  noxious  draught  into  the 
kettle.  When  the  villain  left  the  room,  he  emptied 
the  kettle,  filled  it  with  fresh  water  and  put,  in- 
stead of  poison,  a  "laughing-medicine"  into  the 
water. 

JirOzayemon,  when  he  entered  the  guest-room, 
sat  down  face  to  face  with  Takita,  and  the  latter 
ordered  his  quacksalver  to  serve  his  travelling- 
companion  with  tea.  But  the  landlord,  who  kept 

1  The  thin  wooden  floor  of  a  Japanese  house  is  usually  about 
three  feet  above  the  ground. 


248  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

them  company  in  the  room,  winked  at  Jirozayemon 
in  a  significant  manner,  and  the  cautious  samurai, 
taking  the  hint,  refrained  from  touching  the  tea. 
The  poisoner  lost  patience.  To  set  at  rest  any 
fear  of  danger,  that  Jirozayemon  might  entertain, 
he  said,  "Let  me  test  the  tea,  gentlemen,"  and 
swallowed  a  cupful  at  a  draught  without  any  show 
of  fear.  An  antidote,  that  he  carried  ready  in 
his  bosom,  was  his  reason  for  acting  in  this  con- 
fident manner.  But  in  no  long  time  the  "laughing- 
medicine"  began  to  take  effect  and  he  began  to 
laugh,  "  Ha !  Ha ! "  until  every  word,  every  syllable 
he  tried  to  utter,  turned  into  a  peal  of  laughter. 
Try  as  he  might,  he  could  not  check  the  spasms 
of  laughing  that  shook  him.  So  violent  they 
became  that  his  inward  parts  were  troubled  and 
he  was  forced  to  excuse  himself  and  leave  the  room. 
Takita,  sorely  disappointed  at  the  failure  of  his 
poisoning  scheme,  also  went  out  on  the  pretext 
of  going  to  the  bath. 

Jirozayemon  likewise  left  the  guest-room,  and 
withdrew  to  his  own  apartment  which  an  andon 
was  filling  with  a  dim  light.  As  he  sat  there  alone, 
lost  in  reverie,  his  eye  chanced  to  follow  the  out- 
line of  the  characters  traced  on  the  tsuitate  or 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW  249 

screen.  What  was  his  surprise  to  read  in  them 
the  "Morning-glory  Song"  which,  in  the  previous 
year,  he  had  composed  for  Miyuki  on  the  Uji 
River!  Who  and  what,  he  asked  himself  in  won- 
der, had  caused  this  song  to  be  written  on  a  screen 
in  a  public  inn?  Then  all  at  once  came  back  into 
his  mind  the  blissful  hours  he  had  spent  on  the 
Uji  River,  his  regretful  parting  with  Miyuki,  and 
that  moonlight  night  in  the  harbour  of  Akashi. 
A  thousand  thoughts  of  his  sweetheart  rushed  upon 
his  mind. 

At  this  moment  the  landlord  stole  into  the  room 
and  told  to  Jirozayemon  in  whispers,  the  story 
of  the  poison  and  the  laughing-medicine.  In  all 
good-will  he  advised  him  to  stand  ever  on  his 
guard  in  future.  After  thanking  the  old  man 
heartily,  Jirozayemon  asked  him  to  clear  up  the 
mystery  of  the  presence  of  the  "Morning-glory 
Song"  on  the  screen. 

"That,  sir,"  Tokuyemon  answered,  "is  a  song 
that  is  sung  by  a  beautiful  blind  girl.  The  story 
that  they  tell  about  her  is  very  touching.  It  is 
said  that  she  is  a  daughter  of  a  good  samurai 
family,  probably  of  Aki  Province.  For  some 
reason  that  nobody  can  explain  she  ran  away  from 


250  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

home,  and  since  that  time  has  roamed  about 
from  one  place  to  another.  At  last  she  lost  her 
sight  through  much  weeping  and  now  she  begs 
from  door  to  door,  singing  this  song  to  the  strains 
of  a  samisen  or  koto.  Some  time  ago  a  relative 
of  hers,  a  woman,  came  in  search  of  her  and  even 
managed  to  find  her,  but  the  woman  died  soon 
after.  So  the  girl  now  wanders  alone  about  this 
neighbourhood  and  in  spite  of  her  blindness  she  is 
a  very  sweet  singer  so  that  everybody  feels  for 
her  and  lends  her  patronage.  Among  us  this 
song  of  hers  is  very  well  known  and  we  generally 
call  her  'Asagao'  ('Morning-glory').  An  un- 
happy fate  for  a  young  girl,  is  it  not,  sir?"  con- 
cluded the  landlord,  his  eyes  running  over  with 
tears. 

"Unhappy,  indeed,"  said  Jirozayemon,  his 
heart  beating  fast  with  the  thought  that  this  for- 
lorn girl  might  be  Miyuki.  "To-night  I  feel 
strangely  lonesome.  I  should  like  to  listen  to 
the  blind  girl's  singing.  Please  be  so  kind  as  to 
send  for  her." 

"Your  wish  is  law,  sir,"  replied  mine  host  with 
prompt  assent. 


VII 


TOKUY£MON,  in  leaving  Jirozay&non's  apart- 
ment met  Takita  on  his  way  in.  The  two  samurai 
had  talked  for  some  time  together  when  the 
chamber-maid  appeared  and  said:  "Asagao-  has 
just  come,  sir." 

"Asagao!"  exclaimed  Takita,  with  a  look  of 
wonder.  "Who  is  this  Asagao,  my  friend?" 

"The  name,  I  am  told,"  answered  Jirozayemon 
"is  that  of  a  blind  girl  who  goes  about  begging 
in  this  neighbourhood,  and  playing  on  the  koto 
or  the  samisen.  As  I  feel  lonely  to-night  I  have 
sent  for  her.  I  wish  to  listen  to  her  music " 

"A  blind  woman — and  a  beggar!"  broke  in 
Takita,  with  a  forbidding  expression.  "But,  my 
dear  sir,  you  cannot  admit  a  stroller  of  that  sort 
into  your  room.  You  had  better  make  her  per- 
form in  the  garden,  and  send  her  about  her  busi- 
ness as  soon  as  she  has  played  a  tune." 

Jirozayemon  in  his  gentle  manner  ordered  the 
maid  to  bring  Asagao  immediately  before  the 
verandah. 

251 


252  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

As  we  have  seen,  Miyuki  had,  some  time  before, 
met  her  nurse,  Asaka,  but  her  joy  at  this  meeting 
was  but  a  fleeting  happiness,  for  Asaka's  wound 
proved  mortal,  and  soon  carried  her  off.  Thus 
Miyuki  again  became  a  solitary  wanderer. 

In  prompt  obedience  to  Jirozayemon's  order, 
the  blind  girl  came,  an  old  koto  on  her  shoul- 
der, feeling  her  way  into  the  garden  with  her 
cane. 

"  Is  it  the  gentleman  of  this  room  that  has  called 
me,"  she  asked  with  a  respectful  bow.  "May  I 
have  the  honour  of  playing  for  you  a  tune  on  the 


Jirozayemon,  at  a  single  glance,  recognized  his 
sweetheart,  greatly  changed  though  she  was. 
What  a  pitiful  transformation!  At  sight  of  it  he 
wept  inwardly.  But  Takita,  quite  unaware  of 
this,  roared  out  : 

"What  a  disgusting  spectacle!  I  say,  you 
beggar,  you  can't  wait  upon  us  in  such  a  plight. 
Take  yourself  off!" 

"Don't  speak  so  cruelly,  Takita,"  said  Jiro- 
zayemon, his  heart  big  with  grief  and  compassion. 
"She  is  here  because  I  have  sent  for  her  —  it  ill 
beseems  a  samurai  to  chide  a  woman.  Come,  girl, 


a 

0 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  253 

sing  us  your  favourite  song — the  'Morning-glory 
Song'  if  I  remember  aright." 

Poor  blind  Miyuki!  Quite  ignorant  of  the 
presence  of  her  lover,  she  loosed  her  instrument 
from  her  shoulder  and  played,  singing  the  while 
in  plaintive  tones : 

"  The  morning-glories  are  fresh  and  sheen 
With  sparkling  drops  of  morning  dew, 

But  well-a-day!  the  sunshine  keen 

Bids  fair  to  blight  their  charming  hue. 

Oh,  how  I  wish  a  kindly  shower 

Would  fall,  to  save  the  lovely  flower." 

"Well  done!  Well  done,  Asagao!"  cried  Jiro- 
zayemon  with  enthusiasm.  "Your  song  has 
moved  me  to  tears." 

"Well  done,  indeed!"  echoed  Takita,  in  a  mild 
tone,  that  contrasted  strangely  with  his  former 
harshness.  "You  were  not  born  a  beggar,  girl. 
Your  touch  on  the  koto,  your  personal  beauty,  and 
the  grace  of  your  manner  are  sufficient  proof  of 
that.  I  think  a  sketch  of  your  personal  history 
would  be  an  interesting  tale  for  us.  Please  tell 
it  to  us  minutely." 

"Your  question,  sir,  shows  me  the  kindness  of 


254  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

your  heart,"  responded  Miyuki  and  she  went  on 
to  tell,  with  all  frankness  and  modesty,  her  story 
from  beginning  to  end — how  she  had  run  away 
from  home  to  save  her  chastity,  how  she  had 
suffered  and  wandered,  and  how  her  constant 
weeping  had  led  to  blindness. 

Every  word  she  spoke  struck  upon  Jirozay6- 
mon  's  heart,  awakening  a  sense  of  pity  and  grati- 
tude. How  great  was  his  longing  to  tell  her  his 
name  and  take  her  to  his  heart !  But  in  presence 
of  his  colleague  such  action  was  impossible. 

"You  have  indeed  shown  yourself  the  most 
loyal  of  women,  Asagao ! "  he  exclaimed.  "  Surely 
your  lover  would  rejoice,  if  he  could  but  hear 
your  story." 

The  night  was  wearing  on.  Miyuki,  therefore, 
bade  farewell  to  the  samurai  and  rose  in  act  to  go, 
but  she  departed  with  great  reluctance,  with 
Jirozayemon's  kindly  words  still  lingering  in  her 
ears.  Takita  also  withdrew  to  his  bedroom. 

Jirozayemon  then  hastily  called  the  maid  and 
bade  her  request  the  landlord  to  come  at  once 
and  see  him.  While  she  was  gone  upon  her  errand 
he  sought  out  a  fan  on  which  he  wrote  some  in- 
scription. He  was  proceeding  to  wrap  up  in 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  255 

paper  a  sum  of  money  and  some  medicine  when 
lo  and  behold!  before  his  eyes  flashed  the  point 
of  a  naked  sword  that  had  pierced  the  mat  from 
beneath  the  floor.  With  great  presence  of  mind 
he  upset  upon  the  blade  the  lukewarm  water  from 
the  kettle.  In  all  likelihood  the  would-be  assassin 
mistook  this  water  for  blood  and  concluded  that 
his  thrust  had  gone  home.  At  any  rate,  a  masked 
man,  drawn  sword  in  hand,  broke  into  the  room 
and  slashed  at  Jirozayemon.  Without  losing  his 
presence  of  mind  the  samurai  engaged  him  with 
his  fan,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  fight  Tokuyemon 
appeared  in  the  room  and  beheld  the  struggle  with 
open-mouthed  astonishment. 

The  fight  was  of  short  duration.  Jirozayemon 
disarmed  his  opponent  and  scarcely  had  the  young 
man  taken  up  the  fallen  sword,  when  the  ruffian's 
head  fell  to  the  mat. 

"You  are,  indeed,  a  skilful  swordsman,  sir,"  the 
landlord  broke  out,  with  an  involuntary  cry  of 
admiration.  But  Jirozayemon  coolly  ordered  him 
to  dispose  of  the  corpse  and  after  the  room  had 
been  cleaned,  said  to  the  old  man : 

"I  have  a  favour  to  ask  of  you.  It  is  that  you 
be  so  kind  as  to  send  again  for  that  blind  girl." 


256  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

"Most  certainly,  sir,"  answered  the  landlord, 
his  head  on  one  side,  "but  as  Asagao  has  gone  to 
the  town  of  Shimizu  she  cannot  be  here  to-night." 

"How  unfortunate !  And  I  must  be  on  the  road 
to-morrow  morning  not  later  than  four  o'clock. 
What  an  unlucky  creature  I  am !  Well,  landlord, 
I  must  leave  in  your  care  these  three  things 
for  Asagao,  as  her  fee  for  our  entertainment. 
Please  give  them  to  her  when  she  next  comes  here." 

Tokuyemon  received  and  carefully  scrutinized 
the  articles.  "This,  sir,  is  a  very  large  sum  of 
money.  And  a  beautiful  fan  and  a  packet  of 
medicine  into  the  bargain!" 

"The  medicine,"  said  Jirozay£mon,  "is  for  the 
eyes.  It  is  a  sovereign  remedy,  imported  from 
China.  Let  this  preparation  be  administered, 
mixed  with  the  blood  of  a  man  born  in  the  year  of 
the  Rat  and  any  eye-disease  will  be  cured  on  the 
instant.  It  is  indeed  miraculous  in  its  power." 

"It  is  in  truth  a  precious  gift,  sir,"  said  Toku- 
yemon with  a  respectful  reverence.  "How  grate- 
ful Asagao  will  be  to  you!  In  her  name  I  thank 
you  most  heartily,  sir." 

At  that  moment  the  clock  struck  four,  and 
Takita,  arrayed  in  travelling  gear  and  waited  on 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  257 

by  his  retinue,  came  in  and  urged  Jirozayemon 
to  take  the  road.  He  accordingly  changed  clothes 
without  loss  of  time  and  with  a  friendly  farewell 
to  Tokuyemon,  set  out  upon  his  journey.  But  he 
left  his  heart  and  soul  behind  him  at  the  inn.  He 
thought  of  his  sweetheart  and  thought  of  her  only. 
Would  he  ever  again,  he  wondered,  have  a  chance 
to  meet  her?  Bitter  tears  of  grief  and  regret 
welled  up,  as  it  seemed,  from  his  very  breast. 

Tokuyemon,  looking  after  them  as  their  figures 
lessened  in  the  distance,  said  to  himself:  "Both 
those  men  are  samurai,  yet  how  different  they  are 
in  nature!  One  a  very  rascal,  and  the  other  all 
kindness  and  compassion !  What  a  fine  character 
that  Jirozayemon  is!  But  I  think  that,  for  all 
his  kindness,  these  gifts  for  Asagao  are  too  great 
a  price  for  her  trifling  services  to-night.  I  fancy 
there  is  more  in  this  than  meets  the  eye." 

Scarcely  half  an  hour  had  passed,  when  Miyuki 
again  appeared  at  the  inn.  Immediately  on  her 
return  from  Shimizu,  she  had  turned  her  steps 
thither,  as  some  instinct  had  warned  her  to  do. 

"Oh,  is  that  you,  Asagao?"  cried  the  old  land- 
lord. "But  you  come  too  late.  That  kind 
samurai  who  last  night  called  for  you,  bade  me 


258  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

send  for  you  again.  But  I  heard  that  you  had 
gone  to  Shimizu,  and  told  him  it  was  useless.  Then 
he  left  in  my  care  a  large  sum  of  money  for  you, 
a  beautiful  fan,  and  some  medicine  for  the  eye,  of 
great  efficacy.  It  is  now  a  good  while  since  he 
set  out  on  his  journey.  But  here  are  all  his  gifts, 
Asagao." 

"It  was  very  kind  indeed,  of  the  gentleman," 
said  the  girl,  with  an  air  of  wonder.  "I  am  only 
sorry  that  I  could  not  thank  him  in  person.  But 
please  look  at  the  fan  and  tell  me  if  anything  is 
written  on  it." 

"Well,"  said  Tokuyemon,  as  he  opened  the  fan, 
"there  is  a  morning-glory  painted  on  a  golden 
ground  and,  strangely  enough,  your  song  of  the 
'Morning-glory*  is  written  above  the  flower. 
On  the  other  side  is  the  signature, '  Miyagi  Asojiro, 
now  named  Komazawa  Jirozayemon. ' 

"Oh!  was  that  Asojiro  himself?"  cried  Miyuki, 
all  panic-stricken.  "I  fancied  that  the  tones  of 
his  voice  were  familiar  but  I  little  dreamed  that 
it  was  Asojiro.  How  long  is  it  since  he  left  the 
inn?" 

"  It  was  but  a  little  time  ago.  Is  he  an  acquaint- 
ance of  yours,  my  girl?" 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  259 

"An  acquaintance!  More  than  an  acquaint- 
ance. He  is  none  other  than  that  husband  whom 
I  have  sought  for  such  a  weary  time !  But  I  have 
no  time  to  throw  away.  I  will  try  to  overtake 
him." 

Without  more  words,  she  began  to  run.  "I 
say ! "  shouted  Tokuyemon,  clutching  at  her  sleeve ; 
"  it  is  dangerous  for  you  to  run  like  that." 

"No!  No!  What  is  it  to  me  if  I  do  die?" 

"But,  blind  as  you  are,  you  will  never  overtake 
him!" 

To  this  Miyuki  gave  no  heed.  She  shook  off 
Tokuyemon  and  sped  away. 

Dawn  had  not  yet  come;  it  was  still  dark  and 
dreary.  The  rain  which  a  little  time  before  had 
begun  to  fall,  had  gradually  increased  and  was 
now  coming  down  in  torrents. 


VIII 

A  LITTLE  to  the  west  of  the  town  of  Shimada  flows 
the  largest  river  on  the  Tokaido — the  Oi  River. 
In  days  of  yore,  when  engineering  was  yet  in  its 
nonage,  no  bridge  could  be  built,  no  practicable 
ferry-boat  devised,  on  account  of  the  great  width 
of  its  bed  and  the  swiftness  of  the  current.  There- 
fore travellers  were  carried  across  this  river  on 
small  litters  called  rendai,  borne  aloft  on  the 
shoulders  of  naked  coolies.  But  whenever  the 
stream  was  swollen  by  heavy  rains,  all  communi- 
cation between  the  two  shores  was  suddenly  cut 
off. 

By  the  time  Miyuki,  all  spent  with  running, 
had  reached  the  Oi  River,  the  torrential  rainfall 
had  had  its  effect  and  the  current  of  the  river  was 
running  with  great  fierceness.  As,  stumbling 
and  staggering,  she  gained  the  bank,  she  called 
out  in  a  faltering  voice  to  the  coolies : 

"Can  you  tell  me  if  a  samurai,  one  Komazawa 
Jirozayemon,  has  already  crossed  the  river?" 

"He  has  crossed  but  now;  but  as  the  river  has 
260 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  261 

come  down  in  sudden  flood  any  further  traffic 
across  the  stream  is  impossible."  With  that  the 
coolies  went  their  several  ways. 

At  these  cruel  words,  the  baffled  girl  fell  to  the 
ground,  but  in  a  moment  she  was  on  her  feet  again, 
and  turning  to  the  heavens  her  sightless  eyes, 
"How  merciless  ye  are,  ye  gods,"  she  cried,  with 
writhing  body,  and  stamping  foot.  "Amid  all 
my  woes,  amid  all  the  hardships  of  these  long 
dreary  months,  not  for  a  single  moment  did  I 
forget  to  call  on  you,  that  ye  might  vouchsafe 
to  me,  yet  one  more  meeting  with  my  beloved; 
yet  now,  so  cruel  ye  are,  at  this  moment  of  all 
moments,  ye  have  cut  off  from  me  my  passage 
across  this  stream!"  Then  her  defiance  col- 
lapsed and  she  murmured  with  an  air  of  resigna- 
tion: "Ah,  all  is  plain  to  me  now.  This  sudden 
swelling  of  the  river  reveals  to  me  that  I  am  not 
destined  to  become  Asojiro's  bride.  It  is  the 
will  of  the  gods,  of  a  surety,  that  by  my  own 
act  I  should  put  an  end  to  my  life.  What  reason 
have  I  for  clinging  to  life?" 

Even  as  she  spoke,  she  gathered  a  number  of 
small  stones  and  placed  them  in  her  flowing 
sleeves.  Thus  prepared,  she  was  on  the  point  of 


262  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

plunging  into  the  roaring  river,  when  a  loud  voice 
cried: 

"Hold,  Miyuki,  hold!"  and  she  felt  a  hand 
grasp  her  sleeve. 

The  newcomer  was  none  other  than  Sekisuke, 
her  father's  faithful  servant,  who,  in  company  with 
Tokuyemon,  had  come  in  pursuit  of  Miyuki. 
The  girl  made  a  desperate  struggle  to  free  her 
sleeve,  crying:  "Oh,  that  is  Sekisuke,  is  it  not? 
But  I  have  come  here  too  late!  After  manifold 
hardships  and  wanderings,  I  managed  last  night 
to  come  face  to  face  with  Asojiro,  but  woe  is  me! 
I  am  blind  and  did  not  recognize  him.  When  I 
knew  it  was  he  I  ran  after  him,  but,  unhappy 
wretch  that  I  am,  all  traffic  across  the  river  is  now 
cut  off.  Oh,  Sekisuke !  what  shaU  I  do  ?  " 

"I  can  well  imagine  how  grieved  and  disap- 
pointed you  must  feel,"  answered  the  servant, 
"and  with  all  my  heart  I  sympathize  with  you. 
But  never  give  way  to  despair,  for  I  assure  you 
that  I  will  manage  by  some  means  or  other  to 
bring  about  your  meeting  with  Asojiro  and  that 
very  soon.  But  now  let  me  tell  my  own  story. 
After  searching  for  you  with  all  diligence,  month 
after  month,  I  felt  almost  inclined  to  give  up  the 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  263 

quest  in  despair.  Then,  strange  to  say,  two  nights 
ago  I  saw  your  nurse,  Asaka,  in  a  dream,  and  from 
her  I  learned  that  you  were  then  at  the  Ebisuya, 
an  inn  at  Shimada.  I  gathered  but  this,  for  some- 
thing broke  my  dream.  But  travelling  day  and 
night  I  made  all  haste  to  the  inn,  and  have  had 
the  good  fortune  to  come  in  time  to  save  your  life. 
This  is  a  joyful  moment  for  me !  But  in  regard  to 
Asaka,  I  believe  that  she  donned  the  habit  of  a 
pilgrim  and  set  out  along  the  Tokaido  in  search 
of  you.  Have  you  not  come  across  her  anywhere?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Miyuki,  tearfully.  "I  fell 
in  with  Asaka  last  month  at  Hamamatsu,  but 
that  very  night  it  unluckily  happened  that  she 
was  forced  to  fight  a  ruffian,  and  in  that  fight 
received  her  death-wound.  When  at  the  point 
of  death  she  told  me  that  her  father,  one  Furube 
Saburobei,  was  living  at  Sayono-Nakayama  and 
adjured  me  to  call  on  him  for  help." 

Tokuyemon,  when  he  heard  these  words,  showed 
signs  of  great  surprise. 

"Is  it  possible,"  said  he,  "that  you  are  the 
daughter  of  Akizuki  Yuminosuke?  And  your 
nurse?  Could  she  have  been  Asaka,  my  own 
daughter?  I  am  that  very  Furube  Saburobei 


264  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

whom  you  desire  to  meet.  In  my  youth  I  was 
your  grandfather's  retainer  and  by  him  I  was 
treated  with  great  favour.  But,  if  the  truth  must 
be  told,  I  formed  a  liaison  with  one  of  his  maids-of 
honour  and  both  of  us  were  to  be  put  to  death  by 
our  lord's  own  hand.  Yuminosuke,  however, 
interceded  for  us  in  the  kindness  of  his  heart  and 
we  were  dismissed  from  the  household  without 
further  punishment.  During  our  long  wander- 
ings my  wife  gave  birth  to  a  girl.  When  the  child 
was  only  two  years  old  the  mother  was  carried  off 
by  illness,  and  as  I  could  not  bring  up  the  child 
single-handed,  I  gave  her  to  my  aunt  to  care  for. 
I  am  happy  to  learn  that  she  grew  to  be  a  woman 
and  entered  into  the  service  of  Yuminosuke,  my 
benefactor,  and  that  even  after  death  her  loyalty 
endured  so  that  in  a  dream  she  showed  Sekisuk6 
where  he  might  find  you.  What  an  admirable 
woman  she  was!  But  I,  too,  Miyuki,  have  some- 
thing which  I  can  present  to  you!" 

Even  as  he  spoke,  he  drew  his  dagger  and 
plunged  it  into  his  side. 

"Why  do  you  thus  devote  yourself  to  death?" 
cried  Sekisuke  in  amazement. 

Tokuyemon's  answer  came,  broken  by  groans 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  265 

of  agony:  "I  was  told  by  Jirozayemon  that  the 
remedy  he  gave  to  Miyuki  was  of  miraculous 
potency,  and  was  brought  from  China.  He  said, 
too,  that  if  it  were  administered  mixed  with  the 
blood  of  a  man  born  in  the  year  of  the  Rat,  it 
would  cure,  on  the  instant,  any  affection  of  the 
eyes.  By  great  good  fortune  I  was  born  in  the 
year  of  the  Rat,  and  I  have  resolved  to  give  my 
life  in  return  for  Yuminosuke's  kindness.  So  take 
my  blood,  Sekisuke,  and,  blended  with  the  won- 
drous cure,  administer  it  to  Miyuki." 

Sekisuke,  his  eyes  streaming  with  tears  of  admira- 
tion and  sympathy,  drew  forth  a  cup  and  caught 
in  it  some  of  the  blood  that  gushed  from  the  wound 
of  the  dying  man.  Then  from  the  weeping  girl's 
bosom  he  took  the  packet  of  medicine,  dropped  it 
into  the  blood,  and  presented  the  mixture  to 
Miyuki.  "Words  are  too  weak  to  utter  thanks 
for  such  a  deed  as  yours,  Tokuyemon,"  she  said, 
and  drank  it  at  a  draught.  Wonder  of  wonders — 
the  darkness  was  gone  from  her  eyes,  and  at  that 
moment  she  could  "see  even  the  creeping  of  an 
ant." 

Miyuki's  joy  knew  no  bounds;  Sekisuke  in  his 
delight  was  moved  to  dance,  and  Tokuyemon  was 


266  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

well  content.  "Now  there  is  nothing  left  in  life 
that  I  can  desire,"  said  he.  "Farewell,  Miyuki! 
Sekisuke,  farewell!"  and  with  that  he  drew  the 
dagger  through  his  body  to  the  other  side,  then 
slashed  his  throat  across,  and  so  breathed  his  last. 


IX 


KOMAZAWA  JIROZAY£MON,  after  his  return  to  his 
clan,  set  himself,  heart  and  soul,  to  the  task  of 
assisting  Ouchi  Yoshioki  in  the  carrying  out  of 
reforms  in  administration,  and  grew  in  ever  greater 
favour  with  his  lord.  On  a  certain  day  it  hap- 
pened that  the  household  of  Jirozayemon  were  in 
a  bustle  of  preparation,  wishing  to  give  a  fitting 
welcome  to  his  lord,  who  had  announced  his  in- 
tention of  honouring  him  with  a  visit  at  his  private 
residence.  As  the  sweeping  and  dusting  went 
on  busily  the  maids  incessantly  laughed  and 
chattered,  their  tongues  no  less  busy  than  their 
hands.  "Surely  in  all  this  great  world  there  is 
none  who  is  like  to  our  master  either  in  looks  or 
in  brains.  She  certainly  is  a  lucky  woman  who 
is  destined  to  become  his  wife — such  a  fine  gentle- 
man as  he  is !  She  will  be  the  happiest  woman  in 
all  Japan!" 

At  the  hour  appointed,  Lord  Ouchi,  with  Iwa- 
shiro  Takita  in  attendance,  duly  arrived.  JirO- 

zay6mon,  with  all  reverence,  welcomed  him  at 

267 


268  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

the  portal,  and  ushered  him  into  the  guest-room 
with  words  of  greeting:  "It  gives  me  great  delight 
to  see  you  well  and  in  good  spirits,  my  lord.  I 
am  very  grateful  that  you  deign  to  honour  my 
humble  dwelling  with  your  august  presence.  No 
greater  honour  could  fall  to  the  lot  of  our  family, 
my  lord." 

Yoshioki  had  hardly  seated  himself  when  he 
broke  into  speech,  while  the  expression  of  his  face 
betrayed  the  gravity  of  his  mood:  "There  is  a 
rumour  that  the  remnants  of  the  Otomo  faction 
are  prowling  about  in  the  bordering  provinces 
trying  to  stir  up  rebellion.  If  we  leave  them 
unmolested  a  very  serious  state  of  affairs  will 
develop.  What  do  you  advise?  Shall  we  strike 
now  and  try  to  wipe  them  out  once  and  for  all?" 

"That,  my  lord,"  said  Takita,  "is  out  of  the 
question.  The  Otomo  partisans  are  not,  by  any 
means,  to  be  made  light  of  and  if,  at  the  rallying- 
cry  of  war,  all  the  adherents  of  that  house  make 
head  against  our  clan  from  several  provinces  our 
peril  will  be  very  grave  indeed.  They  will  muster 
so  strong  that  to  face  their  great  forces  with  our 
small  army  would  be  more  futile  than  to  attempt 
to  smash  a  huge  rock  with  a  hen's  egg.  In  my 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  269 

opinion  the  safest  course  for  you  is  to  go  again 
to  Kamakura  and  by  leading  a  life  of  pleasure 
there  to  distract  their  attention  from  us,  and  so 
avert  the  danger." 

Jirozayemon  was  not  slow  to  perceive  the  treach- 
erous motive  that  underlay  Takita's  suggestion, 
but  he  dissembled  his  thoughts  with  a  show  of 
utter  ignorance. 

"Takita  is  right  in  what  he  says,  but  I  have 
an  opinion  of  my  own,"  he  said  calmly;  "but  the 
discussion  of  this  matter  will  bear  waiting  till 
another  occasion.  For  to-day,  I  would  ask  you, 
my  lord,  to  make  yourself  at  home  in  the  inner 
apartment."  To  this  proposal  Yoshioki  nodded 
his  assent  and  quietly  walked  into  the  inner  room, 
followed  by  the  two  samurai. 

Just  as  the  sun  was  setting,  and  when  the  dusk 
was  gathering,  there  came  a  knock  at  the  porch 
of  Jirozayemon's  house.  He  went  in  person  to 
the  entry  and  found  a  man  standing  there,  who 
forthwith  proceeded  to  introduce  himself:  "My 
name  is  Sekisuke,  and  I  serve  Akizuki  Yumino- 
suke,  Chief  Councillor  of  the  Kishido  Clan  of  Aid 
Province.  Very  important  business  has  brought 
me  to  make  this  call  upon  you,  sir." 


270  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

:  The  puzzled  samurai  scanned  his  visitor  nar- 
rowly and  caught  sight  of  a  beautiful  young  woman 
hiding  bashfully  behind  Sekisuke.  What  need  to 
tell  that  this  was  Miyuki? 

"Are  you  indeed  Sekisuke?  I  have  often  heard 
of  you,"  said  Jirozayemon,  with  a  show  of  famili- 
arity, holding  his  emotion  in  check.  "For  all 
the  trouble  you  have  taken  for  Miyuki's  sake  I 
owe  you  hearty  thanks.  I  am  happy  indeed  to 
see  you  again,  Miyuki.  When,  a  few  days  ago, 
I  chanced  to  fall  in  with  you  at  Shimada  I  had  a 
great  desire  to  make  myself  known  to  you.  But 
to  my  great  mortification,  I  could  not  do  so  in 
the  presence  of  my  travelling  companion.  I  beg 
you  to  overlook  my  apparent  unkindness.  I  take 
it  that  the  restoration  of  your  eyesight  is  due 
to  the  specific  that  I  left  with  Tokuyemon  for 
you.  Nothing  could  give  me  greater  joy,  my 
dear!" 

Miyuki  could  no  longer  control  her  emotion. 
She  burst  into  tears  and  through  her  sobs  no 
words  would  come.  So  Sekisuke  spoke  in  her 
stead  and  related  all  that  had  befallen  her.  "As 
she  is  now  quite  restored  to  health,"  he  went  on, 
"I  have  brought  her  here  without  delay,  and  I  am 


MISS  "DEEP-SNOW"  271 

very  glad  to  find  you  well.  I  can  well  imagine 
how  joyful  and  happy  Miyuki  must  feel." 

"Then  it  seems  to  me,"  said  Jirozay6mon,  "it 
is  now  high  time  that  we  should  wed  with  my 
lord's  permission.  By  a  happy  chance  he  is  even 
now  here  in  my  house.  I  will  go  at  once  and 
request  his  consent." 

In  no  long  time  the  youthful  lovers  had  the 
happiness  of  exchanging  cups  of  marriage  in  the 
inner  apartment,  under  the  auspices  of  Lord  Ouchi, 
and  a  few  days  later  a  splendid  banquet  was  given 
in  honour  of  their  nuptials. 


Shortly  afterwards  the  treachery  of  Iwashiro 
Takita  came  to  light  and  he  met  a  traitor's  death. 
Arataye,  the  old  heroine  of  Mt.  Maya,  made  away 
with  herself  for  some  unknown  reason,  and  all  her 
followers  dispersed  in  despair. 


ftatsugoro's  Revenue 


From 

The  Hakone  Reigen  Izari 


By 

CKiKamatsxi  ToKxiZo 


273 


Ratsugoro's  IVevenge 

I 

]HE  Regent  Taiko  Hideyoshi  had  a  re- 
tainer named  linuma  Sampei.  He 
was  a  valiant  warrior,  and  had  dis- 
tinguished himself  in  the  liege-lord's 
conquest  of  the  island  of  Shikoku.  At  the  time 
when  this  story  opens,  he  was  serving  as  assistant 
superintendent  in  the  construction  of  Hideyoshi's 
castle  at  Fushimi,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Kyoto. 
His  colleague  Sato  Gosuke  was  a  licentious,  in- 
human, and  lustful  man.  Sampei  had  saved  his 
life  in  one  of  the  battles  in  Shikoku.  However, 
the  villain  was  not  grateful  to  his  benefactor,  but 
bore  him  strong  ill  will  on  account  of  the  increase 
of  Sampei's  stipend,  in  recognition  of  his  recent 
achievement.  The  two  samurai  had  entirely 
opposite  natures.  Sampei  was  upright  to  the 
core,  and  Gosuke  was  dishonest  and  cunning. 
This  fact  contributed  towards  the  friction  exist- 
ing between  them.  One  day  they  quarrelled 

275 


276  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

fiercely  before  Katagiri  Katsumoto,  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  works.  He  arbitrated  between 
them,  at  the  same  time  making  a  remark  in  cen- 
sure of  Gosuke's  abusive  language. 

That  same  night,  when  Gosuke  was  on  his  way 
home,  brooding  over  the  quarrel,  he  happened 
to  meet  Sampei's  sweetheart  O-Katsu,  who  was 
returning  from  a  secret  meeting  with  Sampei. 
As  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  her  face  in  the  moon- 
light, he  fell  in  love  with  her,  and  taking  her  by 
force  to  a  house  near  by,  made  violent  protesta- 
tion of  love  to  her.  She  pretended  to  yield,  but 
seeing  her  chance,  she  succeeded  in  effecting  her 
escape.  This  fact  rilled  Gosuke  with  disappoint- 
ment, and  made  his  jealous  feelings  towards  Sam- 
pei more  fierce  than  before.  Just  then  Sampei, 
who  was  quite  ignorant  of  his  presence,  passed 
near  him.  Gosuke  followed  him  stealthily,  and 
attacked  him  unawares.  Sampei  was  mortally 
wounded,  but  he  offered  him  a  stout  resistance. 
Unluckily,  after  a  few  minutes'  fighting,  he  suc- 
cumbed to  his  wound.  That  same  night  the 
murderer  took  to  flight.  Strange  to  say,  a  few 
days  later,  he  encountered  O-Katsu  travelling 
alone.  He  again  made  love  to  her,  but  she  indig- 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  277 

nantly  rejected  him.  He  was  so  overcome  with 
spite  and  wrath,  that  he  killed  her  on  the  spot. 

Shortly  afterwards  Gosuke  went  to  Kamakura, 
where  Hojo  Ujimasa  lived.  The  latter  was  the 
daimyo  of  the  eight  provinces  of  Kwanto,  and  was 
a  relative  of  the  rascal  Gosuke.  Gosuke  secretly 
met  Ujimasa,  and  asked  for  his  protection.  The 
latter  willingly  consented,  and  gave  him  employ- 
ment as  his  military  adviser.  To  avoid  detec- 
tion, Gosuke  changed  his  name  to  Takiguchi 
Kozuke.  He  had  not  long  been  in  the  service  of 
Ujimasa,  before  he  began  to  exercise  a  considerable 
amount  of  authority  in  his  new  capacity,  and 
behaved  arrogantly  towards  his  inferiors. 

Sampei  had  a  younger  brother  named  KatsugorO, 
who  although  he  was  still  merely  a  stripling,  was  a 
warrior  as  brave  as  Sampei  had  been.  His  father 
had  died  when  he  was  but  a  child,  and  he  had  been 
brought  up  by  Sampei.  He  therefore  had  come  to 
regard  Sampei  with  as  much  affection  and  piety 
as  he  would  towards  a  real  father.  When  he 
heard  of  his  brother's  death,  he  was  overcome 
with  grief.  On  learning  that  the  murderer  was 
Sato  Gosuke,  he  was  chagrined  out  of  measure, 
and  immediately  made  up  his  mind  to  find  the 


278  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

assassin  at  any  cost,  and  revenge  himself  of  his 
brother's  death.  He  entreated  for,  and  obtained 
from  the  Regent  Hideyoshi,  permission  for  ven- 
detta. Katsugoro  was  joined  in  his  undertaking 
by  a  faithful  servant  of  his  dead  brother,  named 
Fudesuk6. 

Fudesuk6,  although  he  was  merely  a  servant, 
thoroughly  understood  the  duty  of  loyalty  to  his 
lord.  He  possessed  wonderful  muscular  power, 
and  proficiency  in  military  arts.  Katsugoro 
and  Fudesuke  wished  to  avoid  notice,  so  they 
resolved  to  travel  in  different  directions  in  search 
of  their  enemy.  They  also  arranged  to  meet 
each  other  from  time  to  time  for  mutual  informa- 
tion. Fudesuke  set  out  on  his  journey  the  very 
day  following  his  master's  assassination.  Katsu- 
goro started  soon  after.  They  wandered  for  more 
than  four  years,  through  different  provinces, 
incognito  and  under  assumed  names.  However, 
their  hardships  and  sufferings  proved  to  be  of  no 
avail.  They  could  not  find  a  single  clue  as  to  the 
enemy's  whereabouts. 


II 


AFTER  Katsugoro  had  been  persistently  search- 
ing for  his  enemy  for  five  years,  he  learned  by 
chance  that  Gosuke  was  related  to  Hojo  Ujimasa. 
He  was  rejoiced  to  hear  this  information,  and 
hurried  away  to  Kamakura.  He  then  assumed 
the  name  of  Michisuke',  and  became  servant  to 
Tsukumo  Shinzayemon,  who  was  the  instructor  in 
fencing  of  the  Hojo  Clan,  in  order  to  learn  whether 
his  enemy  was  taking  shelter  in  the  clan.  Shin- 
zayemon had  an  only  daughter  named  Hatsuhana, 
who  was  a  beautiful  girl  of  seventeen.  Her  great 
beauty  was  the  talk  of  Kamakura.  Many  young 
samurai  admired  her  passionately,  and  wished  to 
be  her  lovers.  Takiguchi  Kozuke,  who  had  enjoyed 
some  six  years'  safety,  had  long  since  been  giving 
rein  to  his  lecherous  nature.  He  had  caught  a 
glimpse  of  Hatsuhana,  had  fallen  deeply  in  love 
with  her,  and  had  made  up  his  mind  to  use  his 
power  in  securing  her  hand.  Hatsuhana,  for  her 
part,  had  strong  feelings  of  affection  towards  the 

new  servant  Michisuke,  who  had  a  fine  appearance, 

279 




280  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

was  sagacious  to  no  small  degree,  and  skilled  in 
military  arts. 

One  day  Hatsuhana,  accompanied  by  her  maids, 
went  to  worship  at  the  Temple  of  Hachiman,  the 
God  of  War,  which  was  situated  on  the  hill  of 
Tsuruga-oka. 

After  she  had  finished  praying,  she  began  to 
descend  the  stone  steps,  when  Kozuke  and  his 
servant  Dansuke  rushed  forth  from  behind  some 
great  trees,  where  they  had  been  hiding. 

"Hatsuhana,  daughter  of  Shinzayemon,"  cried 
Kozuke  proudly.  "I  have  some  important  busi- 
ness to  discuss  with  you." 

Hatsuhana  made  a  profound  obeisance.  "Sir 
Takiguchi  Kozuke,  I  believe,"  she  said.  "Can 
it  be  that  your  honour  has  some  business  with  me?  " 

"Yes,  indeed!"  he  said.  "It  gives  me  great 
pleasure  to  meet  you  here.  My  business  is  this — ' ' 
— he  took  a  letter  from  his  bosom  and  handed  it 
to  her 

"  'To  Hatsuhana. 

From  her  passionate  admirer, 

KozuKfe. ' 

I  hope  you  will  not  refuse  my  ardent  desire, 
fair  maiden." 


Mr.  Gado  as  Kozuke 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  281 

"O  sir!"  exclaimed  she,  returning  him  the 
letter,  "such  a  jest  is  unseemly." 

"It  is  no  jest.  I  am  in  great  earnest,  Hatsu- 
hana.  I  have  yearned  for  you  for  a  long 
time,  and  have  watched  for  my  chance  to  lay 
bare  my  secret  to  you.  Don't  disappoint  me. 
If  you  consent,  you  shall  at  once  become  my 
wife." 

"Oh,  pardon  me,  sir,  but  I  never  dreamed  of 
such  a  thing." 

"Don't  say  that,  my  sweet  girl,"  said  Kozuke, 
catching  her  by  the  hand.  "Be  kind  enough  to 
read  my  letter.  All  my  heart  and  soul  is  contained 
in  its  pages." 

Hatsuhana  was  filled  with  indignation,  and  shak- 
ing off  his  hand,  ran  away.  Kozuke  and  his 
servant  tried  to  catch  her,  but  she  and  her  maids 
ran  to  and  fro  about  the  temple  grounds  to  keep 
them  off. 

At  this  moment  Shinzayemon  and  his  hench- 
man, Michisuke,  appeared  on  the  scene.  When 
he  saw  them,  Kozuke  suddenly  ceased  his  pursuit 
of  the  girls. 

Then  Shinzayemon  purposely  cried  out  to  the 
girls  in  angry  tones:  "Go  home  quickly,  girls. 


282  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

You  are  very  wrong  to  loiter  about  here,  after  your 
worship  is  finished.  How  foolish  you  are!" 

When  the  girls  had  departed,  he  saluted  Kozuk6 
politely,  and  said : 

"  I  received  a  letter  from  you  yesterday,  Kozuke, 
saying  that  you  wished  to  see  me  on  some  busi- 
ness. This  is  a  good  opportunity  for  you  to  tell 
me  what  it  is." 

->  "Well,  Shinzayemon,  I  have  a  favour  to  ask  of 
you,"  said  Kozuke  composedly,  as  if  he  had  quite 
forgotten  the  shameless  way  in  which  he  had 
accosted  the  girls.  "You  are  a  noted  fencer,  so 
you  must  be  well  versed  in  the  secret  principles 
of  all  the  schools  of  fencing.  I  want  you  to  give 
me  instruction  in  the  secrets  of  the  art." 

"  Is  that  what  you  wanted  to  ask  me?  "  answered 
Shinzayemon,  feigning  calmness.  "Of  course  it 
would  be  discourteous  of  me  to  refuse  the  request 
of  Kozuke,  honourable  adviser  to  his  Excellency 
Lord  Hojo.  But  it  is  a  strict  rule  of  my  house 
never  to  teach  the  secrets  of  fencing  to  anybody 
who  is  not  already  proficient  in  the  art.  You 
must  pardon  me  for  saying  so,  but  before  I  can 
give  you  my  definite  answer,  I  must  witness  your 
ability." 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  283 

"Pooh!"  said  Kozuke,  smiling  sarcastically. 
"You  wish  to  witness  my  ability?  Let  me  tell 
you  that  I  was  formerly  a  retainer  of  his  Highness 
the  Regent  Taiko.  I  distinguished  myself  in 
several  battles  under  his  command.  Moreover 
everyone  knows  that  I  am  a  hero.  You  need 
have  no  fears  about  my  ability,  Shinzayemon. 
What  say  you,  Dansuke?" 

"Of  course!"  broke  in  Dansuke,  "your  ability 
is  beyond  question.  If  five  or  ten  men  were  to 
attack  you  at  one  time,  you  could  kill  them  even 
with  a  wooden  sword,  not  to  mention  a  real  one. 
If  you  doubt  my  words,  Shinzayemon,  let  my  lord 
have  a  fencing  bout  with  ten  or  twelve  samurai 
at  once;  nay,  fifty  or  a  hundred  samurai,  if  you 
choose." 

Michisuke  had  long  since  been  thinking  that 
Kozuke  might  possibly  be  the  enemy  for  whom  he 
was  seeking.  He,  therefore,  considered  that  the  best 
opportunity  had  come  to  ascertain  the  truth  of  his 
conjecture,  and  if  he  were  Gosuke,  to  test  his  ability. 

"Excuse  the  presumption  of  my  request,  my 
lord,"  said  he  to  Shinzayemon,  in  a  most  reveren- 
tial manner.  "I  should  be  grateful  if  you  would 
order  me  to  contest  with  Sir  Kozuke." 


284  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Kozuke  did  not  wait  for  Shinzayemon's  answer, 
but  flushing  with  anger,  he  burst  out:  "That  is 
too  presumptuous.  You  are  merely  a  low-born 
servant!" 

"Yes,  such  a  fight  is  quite  impossible,"  broke 
in  Kozuke's  servant.  "But  you  may  have  a  trial 
with  this  Dansuke.  Be  on  guard,  fellow!" 

Kozuke  and  Shinzayemon  both  gave  their  tacit 
permission,  and  the  two  servants  prepared  for  a 
fencing  bout,  armed  with  wooden  swords.  In  a 
moment  Dansuke  was  disarmed,  and  frightened 
at  Michisuke's  skill  and  physical  power,  took  to 
his  heels. 

Kozuke  gnashed  his  teeth  with  mortification. 
He  then  played  a  dastardly  trick,  and  drawing 
his  sword,  he  cut  at  Michisuke  with  all  his  strength. 
The  latter  was  not  at  all  daunted,  but  encountered 
him  with  his  wooden  sword  with  such  skill,  that 
Kozuke  was  quite  unable  to  use  his  blade.  He 
was  filled  with  wonder  and  fear  at  the  dexterity 
with  which  his  antagonist  wielded  his  weapon. 

"  It  is  very  strange,"  he  exclaimed,  looking  very 
intently  at  Michisuke's  face.  "  Surely  you  are  us- 
ing the  method  of  the  linuma  school.  Who  can  you 
be,  that  you  have  learned  that  manner  of  fighting?  " 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  285 

As  he  spoke  these  words,  the  truth  seemed  to 
flash  across  Michisuke's  mind.  Both  combatants 
paused,  with  their  swords  in  their  hands,  and 
stared  at  each  other,  standing  motionless  as 
statues. 

Shinzayemon  suddenly  stepped  up,  and  parted 
them.  He  then  scolded  his  servant  with  a  signif- 
icant look. 

"You  are  too  bold  to  fight  with  Sir  Kozuke. 
You  have  not  sufficient  ability.  You  must  pardon 
his  presumption,  Sir  Kozuke." 

"Well,  Shinzayemon,"  said  Kozuke.  "Your 
servant  has  remarkable  skill.  It  is  hard  for  me 
to  believe  that  he  is  merely  a  servant." 

"You  are  mistaken,  sir.  He  appears  at  first 
sight  to  be  very  skilful.  But  really  he  is  only 
an  amateur,  and  an  ordinary  servant.  His  skill 
cannot  be  compared  with  yours.  Your  art  is  won- 
derful in  the  extreme!" 

"If  you  really  admire  my  methods,  you  will 
readily  consent  to  my  request  about  teaching  me 
the  secrets  of  fencing,  won't  you,  Shinzayemon?" 

"I  will  give  your  honour  an  answer  shortly." 

Then  they  bade  each  other  farewell,  and  went 
their  respective  ways. 


Ill 


As  time  went  on,  Hatsuhana's  passion  for 
Michisuke  became  so  strong  that  she  felt  that  she 
could  no  longer  brood  over  it  in  silence.  At  last 
she  unbosomed  herself  to  him,  and  begged  him 
to  satisfy  her  ardent  longing.  Michisuke  fully 
sympathized  with  her,  but  was  unable  to  express 
his  feelings;  for  he  had  a  great  task  to  fulfill,  and 
besides  he  could  not  forget  his  duty  to  his  master 
so  far  as  to  enter  into  secret  engagement  with  his 
daughter.  He  therefore  gave  the  girl  a  polite 
but  firm  refusal.  However,  when  love  receives 
a  sudden  check,  it  is  its  nature  to  become  stronger. 
Hatsuhana's  passion  became  deeper  and  deeper, 
and  at  last  she  made  up  her  mind  to  beg  her 
parents  to  arrange  a  marriage  between  herself 
and  Michisuke. 

In  the  meantime  Kozuke  had  dwelt  upon  his 
recent  courtship  to  Hatsuhana,  and  longed  for  her 
day  and  night.  At  last  he  confided  his  secret  to 
two  friends,  and  the  three  of  them  together  called 

on  Shinzayemon  to  make  forcible  negotiations. 

286 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  287 

"Shinzayemon,"  said  one  of  them,  "a  certain 
nobleman  has  determined  to  make  your  daughter 
his  wife,  no  matter  what  happens." 

"A  nobleman  wants  my  daughter?"  asked  Shin- 
zay6mon  feigning  surprise.  "Who  can  it  be,  sir?  " 

"It  is  none  other  than  myself,  KozukeV'  said 
the  arrogant  and  blustering  villain.  "I  am  hon- 
ourable adviser  to  Lord  Hojo,  and  was  formerly 
a  retainer  of  His  Highness  the  Regent  Taiko." 

He  paused,  and  then  added  dictatorially : 

"When  you  and  I  are  relations  in  law,  I  need 
hardly  remind  you  that  you  must  instruct  me  in 
the  secrets  of  fencing,  according  to  my  request 
of  the  other  day,  Shinzayemon." 

Shinzayemon  was  an  honourable  samurai,  and 
was  not  the  kind  of  man  to  submit  to  such  an 
insolent  demand. 

"So  it  is,  Kozuke,  is  it?"  said  he  disdainfully. 
"  I  thank  you  for  your  kind  proposal,  sir,  but  must 
respectfully  decline  it." 

"  Do  you  think  that  I  should  be  an  unsatisfactory 
son-in-law?"  exclaimed  Kozuke  with  excitement. 
"Let  me  tell  you  that  I  took  part  in  scores  of 
battles,  as  a  retainer  of  His  Highness  the  Regent 
Taiko,  and  was  not  beaten  once." 


288  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

"It  is  quite  possible  that  you  were  a  retainer 
of  His  Highness  the  Regent  Taiko,  but  you  are  now 
a  hanger-on  of  Lord  Hojo.  The  word  'adviser* 
has  a  pleasant  ring  about  it,  but  in  reality  you  are 
a  vagabond  and  a  dependent.  I  could  not  give 
my  daughter  to  such  as  you." 

"  Insolence !  It  is  a  gross  insult  to  Lord  Hojo  to 
call  his  adviser  a  vagabond .  I  must  remind  you  that 
I  have  no  equal  in  Japan  in  tactics  and  fencing." 

"Indeed!  In  that  case  why  did  you  assassinate 
your  fellow-samurai  linuma  Sampei  in  such  a 
cowardly  manner,  and  why  did  you  murder  his 
betrothed  merely  out  of  a  trifling  grudge  and  dis- 
appointed love?  How  can  you  hold  up  your  head 
so  proudly,  and  have  the  affront  to  call  yourself 
a  samurai?  " 

Kozuke  was  taken  aback  at  this  unexpected 
exposure  of  his  crime,  and  his  face  assumed  a 
demoniacal  expression.  He  gave  a  nod  to  his 
friends,  and  all  three  suddenly  unsheathed  their 
swords,  and  cut  furiously  at  Shinzayemon.  The 
latter  was  not  at  all  alarmed.  He  instantane- 
ously struck  off  the  swords  of  the  ruffian's  assist- 
ants. He  also  pinioned  Kozuke  by  the  arm,  and 
turned  them  all  out  of  the  gate. 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  289 

Chagrined  at  this,  Kozuke  turned  and  cried: 
"I  shall  have  my  revenge  on  you  for  this,"  and 
ran  off  as  fast  as  he  could. 

When  the  rascal  had  departed,  Shinzayemon 
summoned  his  wife  Sawarabi  and  said  quietly : 

"It  is  your  fault  that  such  an  outrageous  suitor 
has  made  his  appearance.  Why  have  you  allowed 
a  marriageable  girl  to  remain  unwed?  So,  you 
must  not  lose  a  moment  in  making  preparations 
for  a  marriage  ceremony." 

"But,  my  husband,  with  whom  shall  our  daugh- 
ter marry?"  asked  Sawarabi  in  astonishment. 

"With  Michisuke!"  whispered  Shinzayemon  in- 
to her  ear.  "He  is  only  a  servant,  but  he  is  a 
perfect  gentleman  in  appearance,  intelligence,  and 
military  arts.  He  is  quite  worthy  of  being  our 
daughter's  husband.  Make  them  both  acquainted 
with  my  intention  at  once." 

His  wife  had  learned  of  Hatsuhana's  strong 
attachment  for  Michisuke  and  rejoiced  to  hear 
Shinzayemon's  words.  She  readily  assented,  and 
immediately  set  about  preparing  for  the  ceremony. 
At  that  moment  a  servant  entered,  bearing  a 
message.  It  was  from  Lord  Hojo,  who  summoned 
Shinzayemon  to  him  at  the  castle  upon  urgent 

19 


290  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

business.  The  idea  crossed  the  keen-witted  man's 
mind  that  Kozuke  had  been  slandering  him  to  his 
lord,  but  he  did  not  betray  his  thoughts.  He 
calmly  donned  his  court  dress,  and  once  again 
repeating  his  command  to  his  wife,  he  set  out  for 
the  castle. 

Then  Sawarabi  summoned  her  daughter,  and 
told  her  that  her  marriage  ceremonies  had  been 
arranged  to  take  place  that  evening.  The  girl 
was  filled  with  astonishment,  and  anxiously  en- 
quired who  was  the  bridegroom. 

"My  dear  girl,  it  is  the  man  you  like  best," 
answered  the  mother  smilingly. 

"The  man  I  like  best,  mother?"  asked  Hatsu- 
hana,  trembling  with  apprehension. 

"It  is  none  other  than  Michisuke,"  said  her 
mother. 

At  this  glad  answer  the  girl  heaved  a  sigh  of 
relief.  She  could  scarcely  disguise  her  joy, 
and  almost  fell  on  her  mother's  neck  in  her 
gratitude. 

Then  Sawarabi  called  Michisuke,  and  said:  "I 
am  afraid  you  will  be  surprised  at  receiving  such 
an  abrupt  request,  but  both  my  husband  and  I 
earnestly  pray  that  you  will  marry  our  daughter. 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  291 

With  your  kind  consent  the  marriage  ceremony 
shall  be  performed  this  evening." 

"You  wish  me  to  marry  Lady  Hatsuhana?" 
said  Michisuke  with  a  surprised  look.  "It  would 
be  the  greatest  honour  possible  for  me  to  become 
your  son-in-law.  But  it  cuts  me  to  the  heart  to  say 
that  there  is  an  insuperable  barrier  to  the  marriage 
which  cannot  be  removed.  Therefore  I  cannot 
accept  your  kind  proposal.  Please  forgive  my 
disobeying  your  grateful  commands,  dear  lady." 

"Why  cannot  you  marry  my  daughter?"  asked 
Sawarabi  in  irritated  tones.  "Are  you  dissatisfied 
with  her  or  with  the  house  ?  Or  is  there  some  other 
reason?" 

"  Oh !  may  I  be  for  ever  cursed,  if  I  find  anything 
unsatisfactory  either  in  Lady  Hatsuhana  or  your 
house!"  exclaimed  Michisuke.  "It  is  indeed  for 
some  other  reason  that  I  cannot  marry  her.  It 
is  a  great  secret  which  I  cannot  disclose,  even  if 
you  demand  my  life." 

At  this  positive  and  final  refusal,  Sawarabi  was 
at  her  wits'  ends  to  know  what  to  do.  She  sighed 
with  disappointment,  and  Hatsuhana,  whose  heart 
had  been  filled  with  joy,  suddenly  burst  into 
bitter  tears. 


292  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

At  that  moment  Shinzayemon,  who  had  returned 
home  unawares,  was  heard  crying  in  an  inner  room : 
"Disobedient  servant!  I  will  chastise  you." 

With  these  words  he  rushed  forth  with  a  spear 
in  his  hand,  and  pushing  aside  Sawarabi  and 
Hatsuhana,  who  tried  to  stop  him,  leaped  down 
to  the  courtyard,  and  levelled  his  weapon  at 
Michisuke. 

The  latter  did  not  show  any  fear,  but  with 
great  skill  avoided  the  spear-head  each  time  it  was 
thrust  at  him.  While  they  were  thus  engaged 
Shinzayemon's  face  gradually  turned  pale,  his 
steps  became  unsteady,  and  his  spear  quivered. 
Michisuke  observed  him  carefully,  and  said : 

"Excuse  me,  my  lord,  but  why  is  your  spear  so 
unsteady?  It  is  not  worthy  of  the  greatest  master 
of  fencing  in  the  Hojo  Clan.  Your  pale  face  and 
your  uncertain  steps  tell  me  that  you  have  com- 
mitted harakiri." 

Shinzayemon  was  struck  with  amazement  at 
the  other's  sharp  observation.  He  reeled  and 
fell  on  his  back,  exclaiming:  "Your  keen-sighted- 
ness  astonishes  me,  Sir  linuma  Katsugoro!" 

So  saying,  he  tore  off  his  upper  garments,  and 
exposed  his  abdomen,  which  was  bound  with 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  293 

several  layers  of  white  silk  cloth,  dyed  scarlet 
with  blood.  Sawarabi  and  Hatsuhana  rushed 
to  him,  and  asked  him  in  consternation:  "Why 
have  you  killed  yourself?" 

Katsugoro  stepped  up  to  the  dying  man,  and 
examining  the  wound  carefully,  exclaimed:  "Your 
act  of  harakiri  is  indeed  splendid,  Shinzayemon. 
Your  moments  are  numbered.  I  must  confess 
the  truth,  and  ask  your  forgiveness.  You  have 
guessed  aright.  I  am  linuma  Katsugoro.  For 
the  last  six  years  I  have  wandered  throughout 
Japan  in  search  of  Sato  Gosuke,  in  order  to  re- 
venge my  brother's  death.  It  was  only  for  this 
purpose  that  I  entered  into  your  service.  My 
reason  for  declining  your  kind  proposal  of  marriage 
is  because  my  great  task  is  still  undone.  But  I  am 
filled  with  amazement  at  your  suicide.  Pray  tell 
us  your  reason  for  it." 

Shinzayemon  gasped  for  breath.  "Well,"  he 
said,  "it  did  not  take  me  long  to  perceive  that  the 
overbearing  Takiguchi  Kozuke  and  Sato  Gosuk6 
were  one  and  the  same  man.  On  the  occasion  of 
your  recent  fencing  bout  with  Gosuke  at  Tsuruga- 
oka,  I  perceived  with  astonishment  from  observ- 
ing your  methods  of  work,  that  you  were  none 


294  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

other  than  linuma  Katsugoro.  I  feared  that  the 
coward  murderer  might  suspect  your  identity,  so 
I  pretended  to  be  ignorant  of  your  personality 
and  even  laughed  your  art  to  scorn.  This  after- 
noon the  ruffian  Gosuke  had  the  impudence  to 
propose  marriage  with  my  daughter.  I  flatly 
refused,  and  he  became  angry.  He  determined 
to  work  off  his  spite  against  me,  and  immediately 
reported  to  my  lord  that  I  had  sheltered  you.  So 
a  few  minutes  ago  my  lord  summoned  me,  and 
peremptorily  ordered  me  to  kill  you  during  the 
course  of  to-night.  How  could  I  possibly  do  so? 
I  owe  a  great  debt  of  gratitude  to  your  grandfather 
Motokatsu.  He  instructed  me  in  all  the  secrets 
of  fencing  when  I  was  young.  At  that  time  my 
name  was  Matsunami  Kazuye.  But  if  I  dis- 
obeyed my  lord's  commands  I  should  be  looked 
upon  as  a  disloyal  retainer.  Rather  than  incur 
his  displeasure  I  have  killed  myself.  My  dying 
wishes  are  that  you  should  satisfy  my  daughter's 
ardent  desire,  and  make  her  your  wife.  If  you 
give  me  your  promise  I  shall  die  happy.  Do  not 
refuse  me  this,  Katsugoro." 

Katsugoro  was  wonder-struck  at  Shinzay&non's 
story.     He  burst  into  tears  of  gratitude. 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  295 

"Words  fail  me  in  which  to  express  my  thanks," 
he  said.  "You  have  spared  my  life  and  sacrificed 
your  own,  out  of  gratitude  for  my  grandfather. 
I  will  gladly  accept  Hatsuhana  as  my  bride.  We 
will  now,  with  your  permission,  exchange  the 
nuptial  cup,  and  celebrate  our  marriage  before 
you  die." 

He  ordered  the  maid-servant  to  bring  cups 
and  sake,  and  exchanged  a  cup  of  the  wine  with 
Hatsuhana.  The  girl  was  overwhelmed  with  grati- 
tude and  grief,  with  which  there  was  a  mingling 
of  joy.  She  muttered  a  few  words  of  thanks  to 
her  father,  and  she  and  her  mother  burst  into 
bitter  tears. 

Katsugoro  rose  to  his  feet.  "Now,"  he  said, 
"I  have  discovered  my  enemy's  whereabouts. 
I  will  go  and  take  my  revenge.  Farewell,  Sir 
Shinzayemon." 

With  these  words  he  prepared  to  depart. 

"Do  not  be  so  rash,"  said  Shinzayemon,  raising 
his  hand.  "Your  impatience  is  natural,  but  I 
must  remind  you  that  Gosuke  has  received  warn- 
ing of  his  danger,  and  is  carefully  guarded  by  scores 
of  samurai.  If  you  try  to  attack  him  single- 
handed,  you  are  sure  to  suffer  the  fate  of  a  '  summer 


296  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

insect  plunging  into  the  fire.'  I  advise  you  to 
escape  with  Hatsuhana,  and  await  till  a  good 
opportunity  occurs.  Don't  do  anything  rash!" 

"I  will  follow  your  kind  advice,"  said  Katsu- 
goro.  "  But  if  I  delay,  Lord  Hojo  will  send  soldiers 
against  me.  I  can  hardly  reconcile  myself  to 
leaving  you  on  the  eve  of  your  death,  but  this 
emergency  makes  it  unavoidable.  Forgive  my 
seeming  unkindness,  and  farewell,  my  dear  father 
and  mother." 

Under  cover  of  night  which  by  this  time  had 
fallen,  the  young  couple  stole  out  of  the  postern, 
and  fled  into  the  darkness. 


IV 


AFTER  their  escape  from  Kamakura,  Katsugoro 
and  Hatsuhana  wandered  about  here  and  there 
for  many  months.  One  day  when  they  were  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  an  out-of-the-way  village 
adjoining  the  boundary  between  Shimozuke  and 
Oshyu,  unfortunately  Katsugoro  was  taken  ill. 
Hatsuhana  nursed  him  devotedly  by  day  and  by 
night.  Doctors  were  summoned  from  neighbour- 
ing villages,  and  they  did  their  utmost,  but  it  was 
of  no  avail.  Gradually  the  patient's  condition 
went  from  bad  to  worse,  until  he  became  so  crippled 
that  he  could  not  walk  even  a  step.  To  make 
matters  worse,  all  of  Katsugoro's  little  supply  of 
money  was  used  up  to  pay  the  expenses  of  his 
illness.  It  soon  became  impossible  for  the  couple 
to  remain  any  longer  in  the  inn.  They  removed 
to  a  miserable  hovel  which  was  built  on  the  out- 
skirts of  the  village  by  some  kind  peasants.  There 
they  were  reduced  to  making  a  bare  existence  by 
begging  for  coppers  from  passers-by.  It  is  easy 

to  imagine  Katsugoro's  feelings  in  those  days. 

297 


298  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Ten  long  years  had  passed  since  he  had  left  his 
home.  Thoughts  of  his  brother's  enemy  were 
constantly  in  his  mind.  Kozuke  it  seemed  was 
protected  by  the  powerful  daimyo  Hojo  Ujimasa 
and  was  aided  by  the  authorities  of  the  eight 
provinces  under  Ujimasa's  rule.  Therefore,  even 
if  Katsugoro  had  been  in  sound  health,  it  would 
be  almost  impossible  for  him  to  avenge  himself. 
His  present  plight  made  it  still  more  difficult. 
When  he  thought  of  these  things  he  was  filled 
with  regret  and  despair. 

Hatsuhana  carefully  and  tenderly  nursed  her  sick 
and  lame  husband,  and  encouraged  him  by  saying 
that  he  would  recover  in  time,  and  be  able  to  ac- 
complish his  long-cherished  purpose.  The  faithful 
young  wife  was  compelled  to  lead  a  beggar's  life, 
and  suffered  indescribable  hardships  and  insults. 

It  was  early  one  night,  and  the  bright  moon  was 
hanging  over  the  mountains,  when  the  daikwan 
or  governor  of  the  seven  neighbouring  villages, 
a  haughty  tyrant  named  Mizoguchi,  happened 
to  pass  Hatsuhana's  hovel.  She  ran  out,  and 
asked  him  for  alms.  The  governor  paused,  and 
looked  intently  at  her  face,  upon  which  the  moon 
was  shining. 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  299 

"Are  you  a  beggar  girl?"  he  asked.  "Surely 
you  are  too  beautiful  for  such  a  life !  Aha !  You 
must  be  the  much-talked-of  cripple's  wife.  I 
will,  of  course,  give  you  as  much  money  as  you 
require,  but  in  return  you  must  yield  to  my 
desire " 

So  saying,  he  seized  Hatsuhana  by  the  hand, 
and  drew  her  to  him.  She  controlled  her  anger 
and  said  with  feigned  calm:  "It  is  not  seemly  for 
a  lord  to  joke  with  a  beggar  woman!"  and  she 
struggled  to  shake  off  his  hand.  But  the  impu- 
dent man  only  tightened  his  grasp,  and  tried  to 
embrace  her.  Hatsuhana  could  remain  passive 
no  longer.  She  was  well  skilled  injujutsu  or  "the 
art  of  self-defence  without  weapons,"  which  she 
had  learned  under  her  father's  instructions.  She 
pinioned  his  arms,  and  threw  him  with  a  thud  to 
the  ground. 

"  Yai,  beggar  woman ! "  cried  he,  springing  to  his 
feet.  '  "What  insolence,  to  fling  down  a  warrior 
like  myself!" 

"Oh,  no,  sir!  By  a  mere  accident  your  honour 
stumbled  against  a  stone." 

"It  is  false!"  he  cried.  "It  is  a  disgrace  that 
I,  a  daikwan,  governing  seven  villages  should  be 


300  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

thrown  down  by  a  beggar  woman.  You  shall 
lose  your  life  for  this." 

"Nay,  sir,  I  am  to  blame,  and  I  apologize 
heartily  for  my  rudeness." 

"You  may  apologize  as  much  as  you  please," 
roared  he  with  his  hand  on  the  hilt  of  his  sword. 
"I  will  never  forgive  the  insult  you  have  offered 
me." 

At  that  moment  the  village  headman,  an  old 
man  named  Tokuyemon,  appeared  on  the  scene, 
accompanied  by  his  servant.  He  earnestly  begged 
the  governor  not  to  be  so  harsh  with  Hatsuhana; 
but  Mizoguchi  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  said : 

"  I  will  never  pardon  her.  You  see,  the  moment 
she  caught  sight  of  me,  she  fell  in  love  with  me, 
and  she  wooed  me  desperately.  When  I  indig- 
nantly rejected  her,  on  account  of  her  disgusting 
appearance,  she  was  offended,  and  seizing  my  arm, 
she  roughly  threw  me  down  to  the  ground.  I 
can  never  forgive  her  violence!  In  my  position 
as  daikwan  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  do  so." 

"  That  is  a  lie !"  broke  in  Hatsuhana  impatiently. 
"It  is  the  governor  who  made  shameful  proposals 
to  me.  I  did  nothing." 

"Silence,   girl!"   interrupted  Tokuyemon.     "I 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  301 

am  aware  of  everything.  The  best  thing  for  you 
to  do,  is  to  apologize  to  his  honour  at  once.  Sir 
Mizoguchi,  it  is  a  great  disgrace  to  a  samurai  to 
be  thrown  down  by  a  beggar  woman.  I  think  it 
is  advisable  for  you  to  forgive  this  woman,  and 
take  your  immediate  departure." 

"Well,"  said  the  governor,  softened  by  Toku- 
yemon's  advice,  "as  her  rudeness  was  caused  by 
her  passion  for  me,  I  am  almost  inclined  to  pity 
her.  Tokuyemon,  I  leave  this  matter  to  you. 
Advise  this  beggar  never  to  repeat  such  rudeness 
again.  When  one  possesses  such  a  handsome 
countenance  as  I  do,  it  is  sometimes  apt  to  prove 
rather  a  curse.  Yai,  you  virago !  You  should  not 
fall  in  love  with  every  attractive  man  who  passes 
here." 

With  these  words  the  governor  strutted  away. 
The  old  man  approached  Hatsuhana  to  console 
her. 

"I  at  once  recognized  the  true  state  of  affairs," 
he  said,  "but  it  would  be  useless  for  you  to  dispute 
with  a  daikwan,  so  I  purposely  decided  in  his 
favour,  and  managed  to  persuade  him  to  leave  you. 
My  intentions  were  entirely  for  your  benefit. 
Do  not  misunderstand  me." 


302  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Hatstihana's  feelings  were  pacified,  and  she 
thanked  the  old  man  for  his  kindness.  A  few 
minutes  afterwards  Katsugoro  crawled  out  of  the 
hovel,  and  thanked  him  heartily.  Tokuyemon 
was  a  kind-hearted  man,  and  had  always  entirely 
sympathized  with  Katsugoro  and  his  wife,  and 
aided  them  to  the  best  of  his  ability. 

Just  then  another  servant  arrived,  drawing  a 
kind  of  wagon  after  him.  The  old  man  pointed 
to  this  and  said:  "I  had  this  wagon  hastily  con- 
structed to-day,  in  order  to  offer  it  to  both  of  you. 
The  truth  is  this.  This  morning  I  received  from 
Lord  Ho  jo  who  is  at  Kamakura,  ninso-gaki  or 
1  personal  descriptions. '  They  were  accompanied 
by  a  command,  that  if  I  should  discover  a  man 
and  his  wife,  whose  appearances  coincide  with  the 
descriptions,  they  should  be  caught  and  delivered 
to  the  authorities.  I  was  astonished  to  find  that 
every  item  exactly  applies  to  your  case.  I  was 
then,  for  the  first  time,  convinced  that  you  were 
linuma  Katsugoro  and  Hatsuhana,  who  are  said 
to  be  wandering  in  search  of  their  enemy.  Now 
that  your  'personal  descriptions'  are  circulated, 
it  is  dangerous  for  you  to  stay  in  these  parts  any 
longer.  I  was  so  anxious  for  your  safety,  that  I 


KATSUGORO' S  REYENGE  303 

had  this  wagon  hastily  built,  in  order  that  you, 
Hatsuhana,  might  wheel  away  Katsugoro  in  it 
to  some  place  of  safety.  With  this  wagon  it  is 
not  difficult  for  you,  lady,  to  draw  your  husband 
anywhere  you  choose.  I  advise  you  both  to  leave 
here  as  soon  as  possible." 

Katsugoro  and  Hatsuhana  were  so  filled  with 
gratitude  at  the  old  man's  words,  that  they  burst 
into  tears. 

Tokuyemon  presented  them  with  some  money, 
and  bidding  the  weeping  couple  farewell,  departed 
reluctantly. 

Katsugoro  followed  the  dwindling  figure  of  the 
old  man  with  devoted  eyes,  and  said  between  his 
sobs:  "What  a  vast  difference  there  is  between 
some  men!  On  one  hand  we  see  a  benevolent 
man  like  Tokuyemon,  while  on  the  other  a  bad 
man  like  Kozuke.  What  a  rascal  the  man  must 
be  to  hunt  us  up,  even  in  these  remote  solitudes. 
How  and  when  can  I  attain  my  purpose,  as  long 
as  I  remain  in  this  crippled  and  sickly  condition? 
I  surely  was  born  under  an  evil  star!" 

"Oh,  don't  give  way  to  despair,"  said  Hatsu- 
hana. "I  have  invoked  the  god  Gongen  of 
Hakon6,  for  your  recovery.  I'm  sure  that  through 


304  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

his  divine  favour,  you  will  soon  be  all  right.  Don't 
be  depressed  or  melancholy,  my  dear  husband!" 

"It  has  become  quite  dark,"  said  Katsugoro, 
cheering  himself  up.  "It  seems  the  moon  has 
set  in.  Well,  from  Tokuyemon's  words,  it  looks 
as  if  we  must  go  somewhere  or  other  to-morrow. 
Your  having  mentioned  the  god  Gongen  of  Hakon6 
suggests  to  me  that  Hakone  is  the  best  place  to 
attain  our  purpose.  You  see,  Hakone  is  the  main 
artery  of  the  Tokaido,  and  all  travellers  between 
Kwanto  and  the  western  provinces  must  pass 
through  there.  If  we  go  there,  and  abide  our 
time,  I  hope  that  one  day  we  shall  not  only  be 
able  to  come  across  our  enemy,  but  also  my  ser- 
vant Fudesuke,  who  must  be  looking  for  me.  Let 
us  go  there  at  once,  my  wife." 

Hatsuhana  readily  approved  of  his  plan,  and 
they  set  about  making  necessary  preparations 
for  the  next  day's  journey. 

Suddenly  the  revengeful  daikwan,  with  many 
peasants,  made  his  appearance.  They  attacked 
the  astonished  couple  with  poles  and  bamboo 
sticks;  but  although  he  was  crippled,  Katsugoro 
bravely  defended  himself  with  his  sword,  and 
Hatsuhana  with  her  skill  in  jujutsu,  seized  the 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  305 

arm  of  every  assailant,  and  threw  him  down. 
While  the  mUee  was  at  its  height,  a  traveller  hap- 
pened to  pass  there.  He  took  pity  on  the  couple 
and  fought  on  their  side  with  all  his  strength. 
The  governor  and  the  peasants  were  all  more  or 
less  injured,  and  soon  took  to  their  heels. 

Katsugoro,  groping  in  the  darkness,  whispered : 
' '  Where  are  you,  Hatsuhana  ?  Are  you  wounded  ? ' ' 

"Thank you,  Katsugoro,"  answered  Hatsuhana. 
"I  am  all  right,  but  are  you  hurt?" 

"No.  I  am  not.  Who  was  it  who  helped  to 
defend  us?" 

"I  have  no  idea." 

The  traveller  in  question  was  listening  to  their 
talk,  and  walked  up  to  them.  "You  are  linuma 
Katsugoro,  I  believe,"  asked  he. 

' '  Well ! ' '  said  Katsugoro  with  surprise.  ' '  Who 
are  you,  sir?" 

"I  am Fudesuke.  Am  I  not  right  in  supposing 
that  you  are  linuma  Sama?" 

"Are  you  indeed  Fudesuke?  I  am  so  glad  to 
meet  you!" 

"I  am  also  very  glad  to  meet  you,  my  lord!" 

Fudesuke  had  been  searching  for  GOsuke"  in 
vain,  for  several  years,  and  had  almost  despaired 


30 


306  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

of  ever  meeting  him.  Then  he  had  wandered 
from  province  to  province  for  a  few  more  years  in 
search  of  Katsugoro.  Now  master  and  servant 
met  after  ten  long  years'  separation,  and  their  joy 
knew  no  bounds.  Katsugoro  introduced  Fude- 
suk6  to  his  wife,  and  they  all  conversed  about  their 
sufferings  and  adventures.  When  Katsugoro 
talked  of  his  disease,  and  how  he  and  his  wife  had 
been  reduced  to  begging,  Fudesuke  became  speech- 
less with  grief. 

Before  daybreak,  the  three  of  them  set  out  on 
their  journey,  Katsugoro  riding  in  the  wagon, 
and  Hatsuhana  and  Fudesuke  drawing  it. 


SEVERAL  days  later,  after  some  adventures  and 
great  toil,  Katsugoro,  his  wife,  and  servant  arrived 
at  Hakone.  There  they  found  a  good  hiding- 
place  in  an  unfrequented  and  lonely  place.  Fude- 
suke  disguised  himself  as  a  beggar,  and  wandered 
about  the  neighbouring  district  to  gather  in- 
formation about  Kozuke's  movements.  Hatsu- 
hana,  for  her  part,  went  every  morning  and 
evening  to  the  waterfall  of  Shirataki  at  To- 
no-sawa,  and  for  a  penance  stood  right  below 
the  column  of  icy  water  for  some  time,  fervently 
praying  to  the  god  Gongen  to  cure  her  husband's 
lameness. 

In  the  Amida-ji  temple,  which  stood  at  the 
eastern  foot  of  the  Hakone  mountains,  were  the 
mausolea  of  the  ancestors  of  Hojo  Ujimasa.  One 
day,  towards  the  end  of  autumn,  in  honour  of  the 
five  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  demise  of  Hojo 
Tokimasa,  religious  services  were  held  in  the  mag- 
nificent temple  on  a  grand  scale,  and  liberal  alms 

were  given  away.     Paupers  and  beggars  thronged 

307 


308  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

to  the  temple  from  far  and  near  in  numberless 
crowds,  to  get  these  alms. 

When  alms  had  been  given  to  all  of  them,  three 
beggars  came  from  somewhere,  and  asked  the 
relief  officers:  "We  have  come  late,  and  so  have 
received  no  alms.  Pray  give  us  something." 

The  officers  were  surprised  at  their  curious  attire 
and  strange  appearance.  Their  nicknames  ex- 
cited their  curiosity  still  more.  One  was  called 
"Sea-slug,"  the  second  "Angler,"  and  the  third 
"Bear."  The  officers  promptly  gave  them  rice 
and  money,  and  they  were  conducted  to  a  court- 
yard near  the  temple,  and  treated  to  nice  dishes 
and  plenty  of  sake. 

Katsugoro  supposed  that  his  enemy  Kozuke 
would  attend  the  religious  services;  so  he  put  on 
the  dress  of  a  wretched  beggar,  and  conveyed  in 
the  wagon  by  Hatsuhana,  went  to  the  temple 
grounds. 

"You  must  feel  very  cold,"  said  Hatsuhana. 
"As  this  is  a  mountainous  district,  the  snow  is 
already  falling,  while  the  maple  leaves  still  remain." 

"Oh,  I  am  quite  comfortable  in  the  wagon," 
said  Katsugoro.  "  Here  I  can  stand  the  cold  more 
easily.  But  you,  who  are  dragging  my  heavy 


Conveyed  in  the  waggon  by  Hatsuhana,  he  went  to  the  temple  grounds 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  309 

cart,  must  suffer  severely  from  the  cold.  I  am 
very  sorry  for  you,  and  heartily  thank  you,  my 
dear  wife!" 

"Oh,  don't  talk  like  that!  A  man  should  not 
thank  his  wife.  By  the  bye,  I  think  our  enemy ' ' 

1 '  Hush ! ' '  interrupted  Katsugoro.  ' '  Walls  have 
ears!  Take  care!" 

"I  am  sorry,"  said  Hatsuhana  looking  about 
her  in  alarm. 

At  this  moment  the  three  above-mentioned 
beggars,  flushed  and  intoxicated,  tottered  out 
of  the  courtyard.  When  Sea-slug  saw  KatsugorO 
and  his  wife,  his  face  became  sullen,  and  he 
grumbled : 

"Look  there,  comrades!  Why  should  such  a 
miserable  cripple  have  so  beautiful  a  wife?  What 
an  ill-assorted  couple!  Such  injustice  offends 
me.  But  I  feel  still  more  upset  to  think  of  the 
folly  of  the  relief  officers,  who  gave  us  beggars 
plenty  of  rice  and  money,  and  entertained  us  with 
sake  and  good  food.  The  luxurious  alms  are 
paid  for  at  the  expense  of  farmers  and  merchants 
who  are  burdened  with  heavy  taxes.  Surely 
such  treatment  of  beggars  tends  to  increase  their 
number.  The  authorities  are  very  foolish." 


310  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

' '  Nonsense ! "  said  Bear  laughing  heartily.  ' '  You 
are  indeed  ungrateful  to  grumble  at  such  liberal 
charity.  Your  sullen  looks  and  unreasonable 
complaints  make  me  laugh.  Ha!  Ha!  Ha!" 

Then  Angler  burst  into  tears,  and  said:  "I  am 
sorry  about  to-day's  magnificent  gifts.  I  have 
not  offered  any  incense  sticks  or  a  single  flower  to 
the  spirits  of  my  parents,  even  on  the  anniversaries 
of  their  deaths.  Why,  therefore,  should  I  have 
been  treated  to  such  good  food  and  alms?  My 
parents  must  be  grieving  at  the  Meido,  to  have  had 
such  an  undutiful  son  as  I!  My  heart  is  filled 
with  grief,  brothers." 

"Stop  talking  nonsense,  comrades,"  said  Bear 
again  laughing  heartily.  "How  can  you  grumble 
and  weep  so,  on  such  a  lucky  day !  Cheer  up ! " 

As  they  talked  and  wept,  the  beggars  became 
so  intoxicated  that  at  last  they  lay  down  on  the 
ground  and  fell  asleep. 

Presently  Bear,  who  was  none  other  than  Fude- 
suke  in  disguise,  softly  rose  from  his  feigned  sleep, 
and  approaching  Katsugoro,  whispered:  "I  have 
good  news  for  you,  my  lord.  I  have  just  heard 
that  Hojo  Ujimasa  will  pass  Hakone  to-day,  on 
his  way  to  pay  a  visit  of  homage  to  His  Highness 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  311 

the  Regent.  Our  enemy  Gosuke  will  be  among 
his  retinue,  and  the  party  will  take  their  mid-day 
meal  at  Oiso.  I  will  go  there  at  once,  and  see 
what  Gosuke  is  doing,  and  I  shall  soon  be  back." 

"Your  news  is  indeed  good,  Fudesuke.  Go  as 
quickly  as  you  can." 

"Farewell,  my  lord  and  lady." 

When  his  servant  had  departed  for  Oiso,  Katsu- 
goro's  spirits  rose,  and  he  whispered  to  his  wife: 
"Our  opportunity  has  come  at  last.  We  can  now 
take  vengeance  on  our  enemy." 

To  their  astonishment,  Angler  and  Sea-slug 
suddenly  sprang  to  their  feet. 

"linuma  Katsugoro  and  Hatsuhana!"  they 
cried  aloud.  "You  are  our  prisoners!  If  you 
make  any  resistance  you  shall  die!  Lord  Hojo 
sent  us  out  as  spies." 

With  these  words  they  sprang  at  Katsugoro. 
The  latter  pleaded:  "You  are  mistaken,  sirs.  I 
am  not  he."  But  they  would  not  listen  to  his 
denial,  and  seized  him  on  either  side.  Katsugoro, 
who  was  sitting,  pinioned  their  arms,  and  threw 
them  violently  on  to  the  ground. 

Suddenly  the  window  of  the  temple  parlour 
opened,  and  a  man  walked  on  to  the  verandah. 


312  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Katsugoro  and  Hatsuhana  turned  to  look  at  him, 
and  were  dumbfounded  to  see  their  mortal  enemy 
G5suk6  himself. 

Katsugoro  involuntarily  limped  out  of  the  wagon , 
and  looking  fiercely  at  Gosuke,  he  seized  the  hilt 
of  his  sword,  and  cried : 

"I  am  glad  to  meet  you,  Sato  Gosuke!  I  have 
suffered  for  many  long  years  in  search  of  you. 
My  opportunity  for  revenge  has  come!  Come, 
prepare  to  fight  with  me!" 

Hatsuhana  also  drew  her  dirk,  and  cried : 

"My  father  has  committed  suicide  on  your 
account.  His  death  shall  now  be  revenged!" 

"Enemy  of  my  brother!" 

"Murderer  of  my  father!" 

Gosuke  coolly  smoked  his  pipe  at  his  ease  and 
leisure. 

"  Fools ! "  he  said  contemptuously.  "  It  is  rather 
bold  for  a  crippled  beggar  to  try  and  wreak  his 
vengeance  on  me!  You  are  completely  in  my 
power.  Katsugoro,  if  you  will  give  me  Hatsu- 
hana, for  whom  I  have  yearned  so  long,  I  will 
spare  your  life." 

"Nonsense!  I  may  be  a  cripple,  but  I  will 
never  give  you  Hatsuhana!" 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  313 

"Humph!    What  do  you  say,  Hatsuhana?" 

"  I  would  sooner  kill  myself,  than  yield  to  your 
wishes." 

"You  won't  obey  me  either?  Then  I 
must  show  you  something  which  will  surprise 
you." 

He  ordered  his  retainers  to  bring  out  a  woman 
who  was  bound  and  gagged. 

The  unfortunate  couple  were  amazed  to  rec- 
ognize Sawarabi,  Hatsuhana's  mother.  Gosuke 
smiled  sarcastically.  "See!"  he  said.  "I  have  a 
great  deal  of  power  and  authority,  Hatsuhana.  I 
have  ruined  your  house,  and  arrested  your  mother. 
If  you  will  give  up  your  crippled  husband  and 
yield  to  me,  I  will  restore  your  house,  and  consider 
Sawarabi  as  my  mother-in-law.  If  you  refuse,  I 
will  kill  your  mother  and  your  husband.  Their 
fate  entirely  depends  on  your  answer.  Let  me 
hear  it  at  once." 

When  he  heard  these  cruel  words,  Katsugoro 
gnashed  his  teeth  in  mortification.  He  turned 
pale  as  death  and  fainted.  The  amazed  Hatsu- 
hana rushed  up  to  him,  and  tried  to  restore  him 
to  consciousness. 

Gosuke  stepped  down  from  the  verandah,  and 


3H  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

catching  Katsugoro  by  the  collar  of  his  kimono, 
said: 

' '  Come !  Take  your  revenge  on  me  now,  cripple ! 
— Draw  your  sword,  weakling! — po  you  still 
defy  me,  Hatsuhana?  Won't  you  yield  to  me 
yet?  Your  silence  expresses  refusal,  I  suppose. 
Well  then,  I  must  employ  my  last  resource.  Kill 
that  old  woman !  I  will  see  to  this  cripple  myself." 

So  saying,  the  cold-blooded  villain  drew  his 
great  sword.  At  this  critical  moment  an  idea 
crossed  Hatsuhana's  mind.  She  said  resignedly: 
"I  must  submit  to  your  wishes,  sir." 
,  "I  am  glad  to  hear  that.  If  you  will  indeed 
obey  me,  I  will  spare  their  lives."  He  then  gave 
orders  for  the  old  woman's  ropes  to  be  untied. 

At  his  command,  Gosuke's  retainers  unbound 
Sawarabi,  removed  the  gag  from  her  mouth,  and 
allowed  her  to  join  Hatsuhana.  The  mother  and 
daughter  embraced  each  other,  and  shed  bitter 
tears,  both  for  sorrow  and  for  joy. 

In  a  little  while  Sawarabi  wiped  her  tears  and 
said:  "I  can  well  understand  your  state  of  mind, 
daughter.  Go  and  serve  Sir  Kozuke." 

"I  admire  your  resolution,"  said  Katsugoro, 
who  had  recovered  from  his  swoon.  Then  he 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  315 

cast  glances  at  her,  and  by  means  of  gestures 
without  words,  he  bade  her  yield  to  Gosuke's 
desire.  He  wished  her  to  set  his  mind  at  ease 
and  seize  a  chance  to  kill  him. 

The  clever  Hatsuhana  answered  him,  also 
with  meaning  glances,  that  she  would  do  her 
best. 

She  then  said:  "Take  care  of  yourselves,  my 
mother  and  husband,  and  do  not  be  anxious  about 
me." 

She  again  burst  into  tears,  because  she  feared 
that  she  would  never  see  her  beloved  mother  and 
husband  again. 

"Now,  Hatsuhana,"  said  Gosuke  triumphantly, 
"let  us  spend  the  first  night  of  our  honeymoon  by 
having  a  pleasant  time  at  the  Kikuyakata  Hotel 
at  Odawara." 

With  these  words  he  took  the  weeping  woman 
by  the  hand  and  hurried  away,  accompanied  by 
his  retainers. 

Left  behind,  Sawarabi  and  Katsugoro  were 
overwhelmed  and  speechless  with  emotion. 

After  a  pause,  Katsugoro's  feelings  got  the 
better  of  him,  and  he  burst  forth : 

"How  can  a  weak  girl  kill  Gosuke?    Poor  girl! 


3i6  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

She  has  only  gone  to  die."  So  saying,  he  wept 
passionately,  the  tears  fast  rolling  down  his  cheeks. 

"Your  sorrow  is  natural,"  said  Sawarabi,  pre- 
tending to  be  brave.  "But  it  cannot  be  helped. 
See,  even  I,  who  am  her  mother,  have  stopped 
crying.  Surely,  Katsugoro,  it  is  unmanly  for  a 
man  to  weep  like  that." 

"I  should  be  a  devil  if  I  did  not  weep  like  this! 
I  fear  that  Hatsuhana  has  by  this  time  been  killed 
by  that  fiend  Gosuke." 

He  took  out  a  small  bell,  and  sounding  it,  prayed 
to  Buddha.  The  mother  joined  in  the  prayer,  say- 
ing : ' '  Namu  A  mida  Butsu  I  Namu  A  mida  ButsuT 

While  they  were  fervently  praying,  a  dim  figure 
of  a  young  woman  appeared,  and  approached 
near  to  them.  They  looked  intently  at  it,  and 
were  astonished  to  see  that  it  was  Hatsuhana. 

"How  did  you  make  your  escape,  daughter?" 
asked  the  mother. 

"How  glad  I  am  to  see  you,  dearest  wife,"  said 
Katsugoro.  "Tell  me  quickly!  Have  you  killed 
Gosuke?" 

"Alas,  no!"  answered  Hatsuhana,  sorrowfully. 

"Then  why  have  you  come  back,  craven  girl?" 
scolded  the  mother. 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  317 

"  I  made  a  vow  to  purify  myself  in  the  waterfall 
of  Shirataki  twice  a  day  for  a  hundred  days,  to 
pray  the  god  Gongen  to  cure  my  husband's  lame- 
ness. This  morning  I  took  the  ninety-ninth 
ablution,  and  once  more  will  complete  my  vow. 
I  have  come  back  through  indescribable  difficulties 
and  danger  to  make  the  final  ablution.  Yes,  I 
have  returned  to  fulfil  my  vow,  and  to  see  whether 
Gongen  will  answer  my  prayers,  and  cure  my 
husband's  lameness.  I  must  now  go,  and  offer 
my  last  penance." 

She  ran  up  the  cliff  as  she  spoke,  trampling 
upon  the  scattered  maple  leaves,  and  soon  found 
herself  in  front  of  the  waterfall.  She  plunged 
into  the  basin  of  the  fall  with  a  splash,  and  stood 
just  below  the  column  of  icy  water,  and  prayed 
fervently  with  clasped  hands  and  closed  eyes.  As 
she  stood  there  with  her  raven-black  hair  flowing 
down  on  her  shoulders,  and  covering  the  greater 
part  of  her  face,  she  presented  a  ghastly  sight. 

Sawarabi  and  Katsugoro  were  so  inspired  by 
her  enthusiasm,  that  they  also  clasped  their  hands 
and  earnestly  prayed.  As  it  chanced,  one  of 
Gosuke's  spies  was  lurking  in  the  background 
and  seizing  the  opportunity  given  him  by  their 


318  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

prayer,  he  suddenly  cut  at  Katsugoro  from  behind. 
Katsugoro  perceived  the  flash  of  his  sword,  and 
in  a  moment  avoided  the  stroke.  He  sprang  to 
his  feet,  and  the  next  moment  the  spy's  head  fell 
from  his  shoulders,  down  to  the  ground. 

"  Yah,  Katsugoro!"  exclaimed  Sawarabi  won- 
der-struck at  what  she  saw;  "have  your  legs  recov- 
ered their  strength?" 

"Yes,  strange  to  say,  they  have!  I  am  cured!" 
cried  Katsugoro  noticing  the  fact  for  the  first  time. 
"Hatsuhana's  prayers  have  been  answered!" — 
he  danced  for  joy — "May  Gongen  be  praised." 

"Daughter!"  cried  Sawarabi  loudly,  "Gongen 
has  answered  your  prayers,  and  your  husband's 
legs  are  cured.  Be  rejoiced,  Hatsuhana!" 

When  she  heard  this  cry,  Hatsuhana  opened 
her  eyes  and  said,  "What  glad  news!  Thanks  be 
to  Gongen!"  At  the  next  moment  her  figure 
suddenly  vanished,  and  could  not  be  seen  again. 

In  the  meantime  Fudesuke  returned,  and  seeing 
Katsugoro  on  his  feet,  exclaimed:  "Are  you  able 
to  stand,  my  lord  ?  Has  your  strength  returned  ? " 

"Yes,  I  can  stand,"  cried  Katsugoro  joyfully. 
"My  legs  have  renewed  their  strength,  and  I  can 
fight  as  stoutly  as  before." 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  319 

"How  pleased  I  am  to  hear  that,  my  lord";  he 
paused,  and  then  continued  with  fast-falling  tears: 
"  I  am  overcome  with  grief  to  have  to  tell  you  that 
Hatsuhana  has  met  a  cruel  death  at  the  hands  of 
Gosuke." 

When  they  heard  this,  Sawarabi  and  Katsugoro 
were  struck  with  wonder  and  sorrow. 

"How  can  that  be?"  said  Katsugoro.  "She 
was  here  only  a  moment  ago.  But  strange  to  say, 
her  figure  suddenly  vanished  when  her  prayers 
were  answered  and  I  rose  to  my  feet." 

Then  Fudesuke  told  how  Hatsuhana  had  at- 
tempted Gosuke's  life.  The  villain  had  become 
mad  with  anger  and  disappointment,  and  killed 
her  in  a  most  cruel  manner.  Fudesuke  had  actu- 
ally seen  her  dead  body.  Her  mother  was  over- 
come and  fell  to  the  ground  in  a  swoon. 
,  "Then  did  we  see  only  her  ghost?"  exclaimed 
Katsugoro,  bursting  into  tears.  "How  grateful 
I  am,  dearest  wife,  to  think  that  even  after  your 
death,  you  came  here  as  a  ghost,  and  prayed  in 
the  waterfall  for  my  sake!  My  thanks  are  too 
deep  for  expression,  Hatsuhana!" 

Katsugoro  and  Sawarabi  somewhat  recovered 
their  spirits,  when  Fudesuk6  told  the  glad  news 


320  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

that  their  enemy  Gosuke  would  surely  pass  Hakone 
the  following  morning,  with  Hojo  Ujimasa's 
retinue. 

There  was  no  time  for  delay,  so  the  three  of 
them,  making  necessary  preparations,  started  for 
the  summit  of  the  Hakone  mountains,  to  lie  in 
wait  for  Gosuke. 


In  the  meantime,  Hojo  Ujimasa  and  his  large 
retinue  were  now  passing  in  a  procession  along 
the  plain  on  the  summit  of  the  Hakone  Mountains. 
As  they  were  proceeding  on  their  way,  KatsugorO 
and  his  assistants  suddenly  sallied  forth  from  a 
bush  near  by.  They  quickly  attacked  a  palanquin 
in  which  the  enemy  was  believed  to  be  riding. 
The  numerous  samurai,  who  guarded  the  palan- 
quin, resisted  them  violently.  Katsugoro  and 
Fudesuke  cut  and  hewed  at  them  with  all  their 
strength.  Ujimasa  and  his  retainers  were  so 
alarmed  at  their  mighty  strokes,  that  they  fled 
in  all  directions.  Gosuke,  waiting  his  opportunity, 
had  stepped  out  of  the  palanquin,  and  was  about 
to  flee  after  his  comrades,  when  Fudesuke  caught 
him  by  the  arm,  and  cried : 


KATSUGORO'S  REVENGE  321 

"Now  you  coward,  Sato  Gosuke!  Have  you 
forgotten  me?" 

"So  it  is  you,  Fudesuke!  Your  blood  shall 
cause  my  sword  to  rust." 

They  fought  with  might  and  main.  During 
the  fight  Fudesuke  stumbled  over  a  stone,  and 
fell  on  his  back.  Sawarabi  rushed  to  his  rescue 
and  fought  with  Gosuke.  Meanwhile  Fudesuk6 
sprang" to  his  feet,  and  ran  to  aid  Sawarabi.  Katsu- 
goro,  who  had  been  a  little  distance  away  in 
pursuit  of  the  fleeing  foes,  returned.  He  bade 
Sawarabi  and  Fudesuke  keep  a  look-out  over  the 
rallying  enemies,  and  immediately  attacked  Gosuke 
single-handed. 

The  villain  defended  himself  with  desperate 
courage,  but  he  was  no  match  for  our  hero.  He 
reeled  and  the  point  of  his  sword  began  to  waver. 
At  last  Katsugoro  cut  his  antagonist  down,  and 
stabbing  him  in  the  throat,  cried:  "My  brother  is 
now  revenged!" 

Sawarabi  and  Fudesuke  ran  up  to  the  dying 
man  and  stabbed  him  also,  crying: 

"  My  husband  and  daughter  are  now  revenged ! " 

"My  lord  is  now  revenged!" 


21 


322  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

In  recognition  of  their  perseverance  and  heroic 
revenge,  the  Regent  Taiko  ordered  that  Katsugoro 
should  succeed  to  his  dead  brother  Sampei's  es- 
tate, and  appointed  Fudesuke  Katsugoro' s  chief 
retainer.  Katsugoro  treated  Sawarabi  with  the 
kindness  and  respect  due  to  his  wife's  mother, 
and  the  three  of  them  led  a  happy  and  prosperous 
life  to  the  end. 


THe  Miracle  at  tKe  Ferry  of  YagucHi 

From 

The  Shinrei  Yaguchi  no  Watashl 

By 

Hiraga  Gennai 


323 


THe  Miracle  at  tKe  Ferry  of 

I 


HE  Emperor  Go-Daigo  reigned  be- 
tween the  years  A.D.  1319  and  1339. 
During  his  latter  'days  the  traitor 
Ashikaga  Taka-uji  set  up  another 
Emperor  in  the  person  of  Prince  Toyohito,  who 
was  a  kinsman  of  Go-Daigo.  Thus  it  came  to 
pass  that  the  old  Japanese  saying,  "Just  as  there 
is  one  sun  in  Heaven,  so  there  is  one  emperor  on 
Earth,"  was  contradicted  by  the  fact  that  two 
emperors  reigned  at  one  and  the  same  time,  and 
they  and  their  sons  contended  with  each  other 
for  the  sovereignty  for  more  than  half  a  century. 
During  this  time,  Go-Daigo's  line  was  known 
as  the  Southern  Dynasty,  and  the  other  as  the 
Northern  Dynasty.1 

1  History  states  that  the  Emperor  Go-Daigo,  under  the  pres- 
sure of  Taka-uji  's  forces,  took  refuge  in  the  year  1336  in  Yoshino, 
which  place  is  about  fifty  miles  south  of  Kyoto.  His  dynasty  re- 
mained there  about  fifty  years.  The  usurping  dynasty  reigned 
at  the  Capital.  Hence  the  appellations  of  Northern  and  Southern 

325  ' 


326  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

This  state  of  affairs  was  very  similar  to  the 
Wars  of  the  Roses  in  English  History. 

The  Southern  Dynasty  was  the  legitimate  line, 
so  all  the  loyal  patriots  espoused  its  cause;  but 
Taka-uji's  forces  were  so  powerful,  that  Kusunoki 
Masashige,  Nitta  Yoshisada,  and  many  other 
heroes,  were  slain  in  the  struggle  against  him. 

Nitta  Yoshi-oki,  who  was  as  brave  as  his  father 
Yoshisada,  now  became  a  pillar  of  the  Southern 
Court.  The  Emperor  Go-Murakami,  the  son  of 
Go-Daigo,  commanded  him  to  march  to  Kamakura 
in  order  to  subjugate  Taka-uji.  But  Yoshi-oki 
earnestly  remonstrated  with  the  Emperor,  saying 
that  it  was  not  the  right  time  to  punish  the  traitor. 
The  latter's  army  was  too  powerful,  so  it  was 
absolutely  necessary  for  the  Southern  Court  to 
drill  its  troops  for  a  few  years,  and  lay  in  a  store 
of  provisions  and  ammunition,  before  it  could 
hope  to  conquer  the  enemy.  But  the  Emperor 
refused  to  listen  to  Yoshi-oki's  suggestions,  for 

Dynasties.  But  the  author  is  not  accurate  concerning  the 
location  of  the  two  Imperial  Courts,  and  from  the  statement 
that  Yoshimine1  resorted  to  the  gay  quarters,  and  Yoshi-oki 
visited  the  Shrine  of  Hachiman,  before  his  departure  for  Musashi, 
he  seems  to  locate  the  Southern  Court  at  Kyoto,  and  the  North- 
ern Court  at  Kamakura,  or  some  such  place. 


THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY       327 

he  was  influenced  by  some  powerful  court  nobles 
who  were  in  traitorous  communication  with  the 
Northern  Court,  and  were  plotting  to  destroy 
Yoshi-oki.  The  latter  therefore  had  no  choice 
but  to  reluctantly  undertake  the  battle. 

His  brother  Yoshimine,  a  young  and  finely  built 
warrior,  had  secretly  taken  to  visiting  the  gay 
quarters  of  the  Capital.  There,  he  fell  in  love 
with  a  celebrated  beauty  named  Utena,  with 
whom  he  had  exchanged  vows  of  fidelity.  One  of 
his  boon  companions  was  a  samurai  named  Take- 
zawa  Kemmotsu,  who  was  a  great  villain.  His 
father  had  been  one  of  Nitta  Yoshisada's  retainers, 
but  he  was  like  a  weathercock,  and  had  early  gone 
over  to  Taka-uji.  He  resolved  to  make  an  end 
of  Yoshi-oki,  in  order  to  court  the  favour  of  the 
chieftain.  He  found  out  that  Yoshimine  had  be- 
gun to  lead  a  gay  life,  so  he  also  often  visited 
the  pleasure  quarters  incognito,  and  succeeded 
in  obtaining  access  to  him.  The  crafty  rascal 
wormed  his  way  into  Yoshimine's  good  graces, 
through  whose  recommendations  he  had  treacher- 
ously become  one  of  General  Yoshi-oki's  retainers. 
In  his  favour  he  had  speedily  risen,  until  he  was 
now  the  captain  of  a  regiment. 


328  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

The  day  appointed  for  the  march  arrived. 
General  Yoshi-oki,  accompanied  by  a  large  retinue, 
visited  the  Shrine  of  Hachiman,  the  God  of  War, 
to  pray  for  the  fortune  of  his  army,  and  to  parade 
his  troops  in  the  field  adjacent  to  the  Shrine.  All 
his  officers,  including  Yoshimine  and  Kemmotsu, 
sat  in  state  in  the  hall  of  worship. 

When  the  prayers  were  ended,  Yoshi-oki  said 
to  Kemmotsu:  "I  think  we  shall  fight  with  Ashi- 
kaga  Taka-uji,  on  the  plain  of  Musashino.1  I 
suppose  you  who  are  a  native  of  Musashi  Province, 
are  well  acquainted  with  the  topography  of  the 
plain.  I  therefore  appoint  you  guide  to  our  troops, 
and  your  regiment  shall  be  the  vanguard." 

Kemmotsu  bowed  his  head  with  reverence,  and 
answered  with  a  feigned  air  of  gratitude: 

"I  cannot  express  my  feelings  of  pleasure,  my 
lord.  I  am  only  a  new-comer,  and  therefore  it  is 
a  great  honour  to  be  favoured  with  this  important 
task.  My  abilities  are  poor,  but  I  shall  do  my 
best  to  give  you  satisfaction." 

Just  at  that  moment,  a  sudden  gust  of  wind 
blew  out  all  the  lights  on  the  altar.  All  present 
were  speechless  with  horror.  Yoshi-oki  took  the 

1  The  place  where  Tokyo  now  lies. 


THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY       329 

event  to  be  an  omen  of  his  defeat  in  the  forth- 
coming battle.  He  therefore  bade  his  brother  re- 
main in  the  Capital,  and  do  his  utmost  to  protect 
the  Imperial  Court.  Yoshimine  begged  to  be  al- 
lowed to  participate  in  the  battle,  but  his  request 
was  refused.  Yoshi-oki  then  produced  two  beau- 
tiful arrows.  These  arrows  were  respectively 
called  "Suiha"  and  "Hyoha,"  or  "Water  Destruc- 
tion," and  "War  Destruction,"  and  were  famous 
treasures  of  the  Nittas.  Tradition  says  that  a 
great  master  of  archery  in  ancient  China,  named 
Yo-Yuki,  had  made  his  daughter  Shokwa  give 
them  to  Minamoto-no-Yorimitsu,  an  ancestor  of 
the  Nittas,  in  a  dream.  Then  Yoshi-oki  handed 
them  to  Yoshimine,  and  said : 

' '  Take  special  care  of  these  arrows.  I  have  heard 
that  our  enemy  Taka-uji  who  is  said  to  be  a  descend- 
ant of  General  Yorimitsu,  wishes  to  possess  them. 
If  I  should  take  them,  and  unfortunately  fall  on 
the  battlefield,  he  may  obtain  them  from  me. 
So  I  order  you  to  keep  them  with  you,  and  once 
again  I  tell  you  to  remain  here,  and  do  your  utmost 
to  guard  the  Imperial  Court  from  danger." 

This  command  was  so  peremptory,  that  Yoshi- 
mine did  not  dare  to  repeat  his  entreaty. 


330  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

"Your  commands  shall  be  obeyed,  sir,"  was  his 
reply. 

Then  Yoshi-oki  summoned  his  officers  and  men, 
and  after  bidding  his  brother  farewell,  set  out  for 
Musashi. 

Yoshimine  was  left  alone,  arrows  in  hand,  gazing 
ruefully  in  the  direction  of  the  advancing  troops, 
until  they  had  disappeared  from  sight.  While  he 
stood  thus  gazing  vacantly  into  space,  suddenly 
there  arose  the  sound  of  loud  laughter  and  animated 
conversation.  Presently,  to  his  surprise  and  pleas- 
ure, his  sweetheart  Utena  appeared,  attended  by 
some  girls  and  buffoons.  She  ran  up  to  him. 

"How  glad  I  am  to  see  you,  Lord  Yoshimine!" 
said  she,  her  face  beaming  with  joy.  "I  heard 
that  you  were  starting  for  battle  to-day,  so  I 
came  here  some  time  ago,  with  my  people,  to  bid 
you  farewell.  We  hid  ourselves  behind  the  hedges 
and  saw  what  happened.  You  can  imagine  my 
joy  when  I  heard  that  you  were  to  remain  here 
in  the  Capital!  How  glad  I  am!" 

"Allow  us  to  congratulate  you  on  your  mu- 
tual happiness,  Lord  Yoshimine,  and  fair  Utena," 
cried  all  the  buffoons  and  girls,  with  one  voice. 
"We  will  drink  to  your  health!" 


THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY       331 

So  saying,  they  clasped  the  young  warrior  by 
the  hand  and  led  him  into  a  tea-house  close  by. 
There  they  spread  the  table  for  lunch,  and  pro- 
duced some  sake  which  they  had  brought,  and 
entertained  him  with  liquor  and  music.  He  was 
soon  in  a  jovial  mood  and  drank  so  heavily  that 
he  dropped  asleep.  Soon  afterwards,  Utena  and 
the  other  girls  went  away,  and  the  buffoons  seizing 
the  opportunity,  softly  approached  the  soundly 
sleeping  warrior,  stole  his  arrows,  and  escaped 
unnoticed. 

Some  minutes  later,  Yoshimine  awoke  and 
looked  about  him ;  but  alas !  his  arrows  were  miss- 
ing. He  was  sure  that  they  had  been  stolen  by 
spies  of  the  enemy.  What  excuse  could  he  find 
to  escape  the  blame  of  such  negligence?  He  was 
so  overwhelmed  with  sorrow  and  despair,  that  he 
drew  his  dirk  from  its  sheath,  and  was  about  to 
stab  himself  in  the  abdomen,  when  Utena,  who 
had  just  returned,  seized  his  wrist,  and  bursting 
into  tears,  said:  "Don't  be  so  rash!  I  can  quite 
understand  your  sorrow,  but  if  you  kill  yourself, 
who  would  search  for  the  arrows?  Someone  must 
let  Lord  Yoshi-oki  know  of  this  misfortune,  or 
the  arrows  will  never  be  restored.  This  trouble 

I 


332  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

is  my  fault;  the  responsibility  must  rest  on  me. 
Let  us  search  for  the  arrows  together,  even  if  we 
have  to  travel  throughout  Japan — nay,  to  the  end 
of  the  world.  So  the  sooner  we  can  set  out  the 
better." 

At  her  advice,  Yoshimine  took  heart  and  aban- 
doned the  idea  of  committing  suicide.  He  then 
began  to  make  preparations  to  search  for  the 
arrows.  At  this  moment,  the  erstwhile  buffoons 
appeared  on  the  scene,  dressed  in  full  armour, 
at  the  head  of  a  party  of  soldiers. 

"Prepare  for  death,  Yoshimine!"  cried  they. 
"We  are  retainers  of  Lord  Ashikaga  Taka-uji. 
We  waited  on  you,  disguised  as  buffoons,  in  order 
to  steal  your  arrows.  Now  that  we  have  secured 
them,  we  will  take  your  head  to  present  it  to  our 
lord." 

Yoshimine  was  highly  incensed,  and  encountered 
the  soldiers  with  his  great  sword,  and  fought 
desperately  for  a  while.  But,  although  he  was  a 
master-hand  at  fencing,  it  was  impossible  for  him 
to  face  such  odds.  He  was  gradually  put  on  the 
defensive,  and  it  looked  every  moment  as  if  he 
would  be  struck  down.  But  fortune  favoured 
him.  Just  at  that  moment  a  brave  officer  of 


THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY       333 

Yoshi-oki's,  named  Shinozuka  Hachiro,  who  had 
failed  to  arrive  at  the  hour  appointed  for  the 
march,  happened  to  make  his  appearance.  He 
rushed  to  Yoshimine' 's  rescue,  and  attacked  the  sol- 
diers fiercely.  After  fighting  for  a  little  while,  he 
killed  the  buffoons  and  some  of  the  soldiers,  and 
put  the  rest  to  flight.  He  then  urged  Yoshimine 
and  his  sweetheart  to  escape,  and  when  they  were 
well  out  of  the  way,  the  hero  ran  to  overtake  the 
marching  army. 


II 


THE  armies  met  on  the  plain  of  Musashino,  and 
a  bloody  battle  followed.  The  Imperial  troops 
fought  so  bravely,  that  the  traitor's  army,  al- 
though it  was  far  superior  in  numbers,  showed 
signs  of  being  defeated.  To  rally  the  wavering 
troops,  Eda  Hangwan,  who  was  one  of  Taka-uji's 
generals,  fought  desperately,  whereupon  they  were 
restored  to  order,  and  Yoshi-oki's  army  in  its 
turn  was  thrown  into  confusion. 

"Our  men  are  cowards,"  cried  Takezawa  Kem- 
motsu,  plunging  into  Eda's  ranks,  and  fighting 
with  great  courage.  His  strokes  were  so  mighty 
that  Eda  and  his  men  took  to  their  heels.  Kem- 
motsu  overtook  him,  and  they  engaged  in  single 
bombat.  After  righting  for  some  time  they  threw 
their  swords  down,  and  grappled  with  each  other 
with  Herculean  strength.  They  looked  around 
them,  and  finding  that  nobody  was  near,  they 
each  said,  "It  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  fight  any 
longer."  As  they  spoke,  they  unclasped  their 
arms  and  rose  to  their  feet. 

334 


But  a  warrior  seized  the  tail  of  his  horse 


THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY       335 

"Eda,"  whispered  Kemmotsu,  "you  fled  very 
skilfully." 

"No,"  replied  Eda  laughingly,  "your  chase 
was  far  better  than  my  flight,  I  think." 

"As  we  are  both  so  skilful,  I  am  sure  that  the 
sagacious  Yoshi-oki  cannot  suspect  our  tricks." 

"That  is  true.  It  will  be  very  easy  for  us  to 
entice  him  to  the  ferry  of  Yaguchi,  and  thus  lead 
him  to  his  ruin " 

At  this  moment,  they  were  startled  to  hear  a 
tumult  of  war-shouts,  and  the  clattering  of  hoofs. 
They  hastily  took  up  their  swords  and  battled 
with  each  other  for  a  little  while,  and  as  before 
Eda  took  to  flight,  and  Kemmotsu  pursued  him. 

With  regard  to  Yoshi-oki,  he  was  determined 
to  search  out  Taka-uji,  and  to  fight  with  him  in 
single  combat,  in  order  to  decide  the  issue.  There- 
fore he  spurred  his  steed  and  began  to  gallop 
towards  the  enemy's  ranks.  But  a  warrior  wear- 
ing a  mino  or  straw  waterproof  over  his  armour, 
and  whose  face  was  almost  completely  muffled  in 
a  hood,  sprang  forward,  and  firmly  seizing  the 
tail  of  his  horse,  drew  the  animal  back.  "What 
insolence!"  cried  the  General  with  intense  irrita- 
tion. "Let  go  your  hold,  rascal!" 


336  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

With  these  words,  he  gave  his  horse  a  sharp  cut 
with  his  whip.  The  swift-footed  steed,  feeling  the 
sting  of  the  whip,  galloped  on  again.  But  the 
masked  warrior  did  not  loose  his  firm  hold  on 
the  horse's  tail,  and  was  dragged  some  way.  In 
the  confusion  his  hood  fell  off,  and  his  face  was 
exposed  to  view.  Yoshi-oki  scrutinized  him  care- 
fully, and  was  astonished  to  recognize  his  retainer 
Yura  Hyogo,  whom  he  had  ordered  to  stay  in 
charge  of  his  castle  at  Nitta,  which  was  situated 
in  the  province  of  Kozuke. 

"Why  are  you  here,  Hyogo?"  cried  Yoshi-oki 
angrily.  "Why  have  you  come  to  the  battle- 
field ?  Why  are  you  trying  to  stop  me  ? ' ' 

"Excuse  the  liberty  I  am  taking,  my  lord,"  re- 
plied Hyogo,  bursting  into  tears,  "but  I  feel  that  it 
is  my  duty  to  say  that  I  think  it  is  unbecoming 
to  your  lordship,  who  is  the  commander-in-chief, 
to  resort  to  such  rash  and  brutal  methods.  I  have 
listened  eagerly  to  all  the  reports  of  the  war,  and 
have  gathered  that  you  are  resolved  to  fight  to 
the  death.  I  therefore  left  Minase  Rokuro  in 
charge  of  the  castle,  and  hurried  alone  here  to  try 
and  dissuade  your  lordship,  by  any  means  in  my 
power,  to  change  your  rash  intentions.  If  your 


THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY       337 

lordship  should  be  killed  by  any  rash  deed  on  your 
part,  who  is  there  to  guard  the  Emperor  and 
accomplish  the  great  task  of  subduing  the  traitor? 
Think  carefully  over  the  matter,  before  you  decide 
to  proceed,  my  lord." 

Hyogo  had  scarcely  spoken,  when  Kemmotsu 
came  up,  carrying  two  or  three  heads. 

"I  have  glad  news  for  your  lordship,"  said  he 
fervently.  "The  traitor  has  found  it  impossible 
to  resist  the  fierce  attack  of  our  troops,  and  his 
regiments  have  fled  like  cowards  to  Kamakura. 
Your  lordship  had  better  avail  yourself  of  this 
opportunity.  You  should  give  chase  to  the  enemy 
without  a  moment's  delay.  You  can,  then,  I  am 
sure,  readily  take  Taka-uji's  head.  Your  chance 
has  come,  my  lord." 

The  excited  General  was  so  delighted  to  hear 
this  news,  that  he  could  not  afford  to  hesitate. 
He  immediately  ordered  his  troops  to  advance  in 
pursuit  of  the  retreating  enemy.  He  then  spurred 
his  horse  on,  in  order  to  ride  at  the  head  of  his 
ranks.  But  Hyogo  grasped  his  horse's  bit,  in 
order  to  keep  the  animal  back.  Yoshi-oki  cried 
out  with  rage,  and  raising  his  war-fan,  he 
soundly  beat  his  retainer  about  the  face  with 


338  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

it.  The  faithful  samurai,  however,  did  not  let 
go  his  hold,  but  exerted  all  his  strength  to  keep 
back  the  horse.  Yoshi-oki  became  furiously 
angry. 

"  Loosen  your  hold  at  once,  you  insolent  wretch," 
roared  he.  "I  discharge  you !  You  are  no  longer 
one  of  my  retainers," — and  fiercely  kicking  Hyogo, 
he  galloped  away. 

Meanwhile  Yoshi-oki's  wife,  Lady  Tsukuba, 
and  his  only  son  Tokuju-maru  a  three-year-old 
child,  resided  in  the  castle  at  Nitta  in  Kozuke, 
which  was  guarded  by  Minase  Rokuro,  and  a 
little  garrison.  They  were  waited  upon  by  Hyogo' s 
wife,  Minato,  and  the  wives  of  the  leading  samurai. 
They  fervently  prayed  for  victory,  and  anxiously 
waited  for  the  news  of  the  battle  at  Musashino. 

They  were  talking  of  the  engagement  when 
Hyogo  returned  from  the  front,  and  gave  them 
an  account  of  the  battle.  "His  lordship  was  so 
elated  by  the  victory,"  he  said,  "that  he  thought- 
lessly proposed  to  give  chase  to  the  fleeing  enemy 
and  attack  his  headquarters,  Kamakura.  I  ear- 
nestly remonstrated  with  him,  and  told  him  that 
it  was  a  rash  and  dangerous  undertaking,  but  in 
vain.  He  not  only  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  my  words, 


THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY       339 

but  became  violently  angry,  and  immediately 
dismissed  me  from  his  service,  and  rode  away  in 
hot  pursuit  of  the  enemy." 

At  this  moment  a  warrior  staggered  into  the 
courtyard.  He  was  a  ghastly-looking  object, 
being  covered  with  blood.  "News!  News!"  he 
cried  faintly,  and  fell  to  the  ground.  He  was  none 
other  than  Shinozuka  Hachiro,  mentioned  above. 
He  was  severely  wounded  in  several  places,  and 
gasping  for  breath.  Hyogo  rushed  to  him  and 
cried:  "Courage,  Hachiro!  Give  us  the  news  of 
the  battle." 

The  wounded  man  made  an  effort  to  pull  him- 
self together,  and  gasped  out:  "After  the  victory 
of  the  Imperial  troops,  our  lord  ordered  them  to 
pursue  the  enemy,  and  he  hastened  with  them 
towards  Kamakura.  But  previous  to  this,  the 
traitor  Takezawa  Kemmotsu,  with  the  assistance 
of  Eda  Hangwan,  had  given  orders  for  the  bottom 
of  the  Yaguchi  ferry-boat,  of  the  River  Tama,  to 
be  bored  through,  and  the  hole  to  be  temporarily 
filled  with  a  plug.  The  ferryman  then  waited 
for  our  lord's  arrival.  He  and  some  ten  officers 
got  on  board,  quite  ignorant  of  the  mean  artifice 
which  had  been  played  on  them.  When  the  boat 


340  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

was  well  under  way  in  mid-stream,  the  boatmen 
purposely  dropped  their  sculls  as  if  by  accident, 
and  pretending  to  stoop  in  order  to  regain  them, 
drew  out  the  plug.  They  then  plunged  over  the 
side  of  the  boat,  and  swam  to  the  bank.  The 
water  rushed  into  the  boat,  and  rapidly  filled  it. 
Immediately  afterwards  Hangwan's  troops  ap- 
peared on  one  bank,  and  Kemmotsu's  troops 
on  the  other,  both  uttering  terrible  war-shouts. 
They  both  came  at  the  same  moment,  and  shot  a 
terrible  shower  of  arrows  at  the  unfortunate  Lord 
Yoshi-oki  and  his  officers.  His  lordship  was  infu- 
riated at  Kemmotsu's  treachery,  but  it  was  impos- 
sible to  fight  under  such  adverse  circumstances, 
so  he  stripped  his  abdomen,  and  stabbed  himself 
to  death.  Then  all  the  ten  officers  followed  his 
example,  and  killed  themselves.  Seeing  this,  our 
troops  were  so  disheartened,  that  they  were  easily 
and  completely  defeated  by  the  traitor's  army. 
Oh,  it  was  terrible!  Mortally  wounded  as  I  am, 
I  have  come  back  to  report  all  this  to  you.  Now 
the  time  for  my  death  has  come!  Farewell,  my 
lady,  and  my  friends!" 

With  these  words,  Hachiro  suddenly  drew  out 
a  dagger,  and  cutting  his  throat,  soon  breathed 


THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY       341 

his  last.  All  were  filled  with  horror  and  conster- 
nation at  the  dreadful  news  and  ghastly  sight. 
They  were  still  in  a  state  of  stupefaction,  when  two 
or  three  soldiers  on  patrol  rushed  in,  and  reported 
that  hostile  troops  were  marching  upon  the  castle. 
Soon  afterwards  Kemmotsu  rode  up  to  the  other 
side  of  the  moat,  and  made  a  fierce  attack  upon 
the  building.  After  a  severe  struggle,  most  of  the 
garrison  fell,  and  the  attacking  troops  captured 
the  castle.  But  Hyogo,  his  wife,  and  Rokuro, 
hastily  disguised  themselves,  and  made  their 
escape,  guarding  Lady  Tsukuba  and  their  baby 
Lord  Tokuju-maru.  The  poor  fugitives  wan- 
dered separately  from  place  to  place.  Rokuro 
and  Hyogo  suffered  indescribable  hardships  for 
the  sake  of  their  young  master.  Rokuro  lost  his 
life  in  his  faithful  efforts,  and  Hyogo  killed  his 
son  Tomochiyo,  a  three-year-old  child,  to  deceive 
Taka-uji's  spies  into  believing  that  he  had  faith- 
lessly murdered  Tokuju-maru.  Thus  the  trusty 
warrior  was  able  to  protect  his  infant  master  to 
the  end. 


Ill 


THE  ferry  of  Yaguchi,  at  which  General  Yoshi- 
oki  died  such  a  tragic  death,  was  situated  in  the 
lower  stream  of  the  River  Tama  which  flows 
about  ten  miles  west  of  Tokyo.  The  ferryman 
was  an  old  man  named  Tombei,  and  he  was 
the  incarnation  of  avarice  and  inhumanity.  It 
was  he  who  had,  at  the  order  of  Takezawa  Kem- 
motsu,  bored  the  hole  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat 
and  assisted  him  in  the  destruction  of  Yoshi-oki. 

As  a  reward  for  so  successfully  accomplishing 
this  villainous  deed,  Tombei  had  been  rewarded 
by  Taka-uji  with  a  large  sum  of  money.  This 
money  he  had  invested  in  gambling,  and  had  specu- 
lated with  it  in  various  ways.  These  transactions 
had  been  fortunate,  and  his  coffer  had  suddenly 
become  full  to  overflowing.  He  was  now  a  rich 
man,  and  well-known  along  the  countryside.  He 
had  recently  built  a  fine  house  with  a  splendid 
parlour  upstairs.  This  house  overlooked  the 
river,  and  he  was  leading  there  a  life  of  comfort 

with  his  only  daughter,  and  his  assistant  boatman. 

342 


THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY       343 

The  boatman's  name  was  Rokuzo,  and  he  was  as 
greedy  a  knave  as  his  master. 

Tombei  was  fat,  heavily  built,  red-faced,  and 
he  had  a  demoniacal  expression. 

His  daughter  O-Fune  was  a  striking  contrast 
to  him.  She  was  a  peerlessly  beautiful  maiden 
of  eighteen  summers,  with  a  sweet  disposition 
and  graceful  manner.  The  villagers  were  loud 
in  her  praise  and  called  her,  "a  peacock  born  of  a 
crow." 

The  avaricious  Tombei  was  not  content  with 
his  condition.  He  decorated  his  tokonoma  or 
alcove  with  a  scull  and  a  straw  waterproof,  as 
mementos  of  the  means  by  which  he  had  bettered 
his  circumstances.  It  was  his  burning  ambition  to 
"pile  up  a  mountain  of  gold"  by  another  mean 
artifice. 

Kemmotsu  had  given  him  orders,  that  if  he 
came  across  any  Nitta  fugitives,  particularly 
Yoshimine,  he  was  to  arrest  them,  and  bring  them 
to  him.  It  had  been  arranged  that,  on  his  finding 
a  refugee,  Tombei  should  fire  a  rocket  as  a  signal. 
On  catching  sight  of  the  signal,  trumpets  should 
be  blown  in  the  neighbouring  villages,  and  the 
villagers  were  to  be  on  the  alerVnot  to  let  the 


344  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

refugee  escape.  If  he  should  be  caught  or  killed, 
the  announcement  should  be  made  by  the  beating 
of  a  drum.  In  the  yard  of  Tombei's  residence  a 
rocket  was  always  kept  ready,  and  a  large  drum 
was  hung  in  the  room  upstairs,  so  that  preparations 
for  an  emergency  had  been  made. 

One  evening  after  dusk  Yoshimine  and  his  love 
Utena,  who  were  .quite  ignorant  of  these  arrange- 
ments, wandered  to  the  ferry  of  Yaguchi  on  a 
weary  journey  to  Nitta.  Here  Yoshimine  in- 
tended to  gather  together  the  remnant  of  Yoshi- 
oki's  retainers,  and  with  them  form  a  basis  to 
organize  forces  in  order  to  subdue  the  traitor. 
Glancing  at  the  stream,  the  young  warrior  called 
to  mind  the  horrors  of  his  brother's  death,  and 
shed  bitter  tears  of  mortification. 

They  were  desirous  of  crossing  the  river,  but 
there  was  no  one  there  whom  they  could  employ 
to  take  them.  Yoshimine'  then  knocked  at  Tom- 
bei's door.  The  old  ferryman  and  his  assistant 
were  absent,  but  0-Fune,  who  was  in  charge  of  the 
house,  appeared. 

"What  do  you  want,  sir?"  she  asked. 

"We  wish  to  cross  the  river.  Please  ask  the 
ferryman  to  take  us  over." 


THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY       345 

The  girl  looked  at  him,  and  blushed  "as  red  as 
a  maple  leaf."  She  had  succumbed  to  his  charms 
and  had  fallen  in  love  with  him  at  first  sight. 

"It  is  true  we  have  boats,"  said  she,  "but  these 
days  the  villagers  keep  vigilant  watch  for  refugees, 
and  so  we  never  ferry  travellers  across  after  sun- 
set. Furthermore  the  ferrymen  are  all  away." 

"We  are  pressed  for  time,"  said  Yoshimine  with 
a  look  of  perplexity.  "There  is  no  inn  in  these 
parts  it  seems,  and  night  is  fast  falling.  So  please 
find  some  means  of  taking  us  over." 

"Alas!  That  is  quite  impossible.  If  there  is 
no  inn,  you  can  put  up  at  my  house  to-night,  sir." 

"Then  will  you  kindly  allow  us  to  do  so?" 

"Certainly,  sir." 

"Many  thanks,"  said  Yoshimine',  bowing  to 
her,  and  calling  to  his  betrothed  to  come  in. 

When  O-Fune  caught  sight  of  the  beautiful  \ 
woman,  she  betrayed  signs  of  disappointment. 

Utena  saluted  her  politely  and  O-Fun6  con- 
ducted the  pair  into  the  room  upstairs. 

As  she  came  downstairs,  O-Fune  thought  to  her- 
self:  "What  a  splendid,  noble-looking  man  he  is! 
He  is  just  the  kind  of  man  I  should  like  to  have 
for  a  husband.  How  happy  I  could  be  with  him! 


346  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

I  wonder  what  relation  his  companion  is  to  him! 
I  hope  she  is  not  his  wife!  If  she  is,  I  don't  know 
what  I  shall  do!" 

As  she  was  sitting  thus  wrapped  in  thought 
Yoshimine  came  down  and  said:  "Will  you  kindly 
give  me  a  cup  of  tea?" 

"With  pleasure,  sir,"  said  the  maiden,  her 
heart  beating  fast.  "May  I  make  so  bold  as  to 
ask  you  whether  your  companion  is  your  sister 
or  your  lady,  sir?" 

Yoshimine  was  surprised  at  this  unexpected 
question,  but  the  next  instant  he  guessed  what 
was  passing  in  her  mind. 

"She  is  my  sister,"  he  answered.  "She  has 
been  ill  for  a  long  time,  so  I  am  taking  her  to  the 
Temple  of  Kwannon1  at  Asakusa,  to  pray  for  her 
recovery." 

"How  glad  I  am  to  hear  that!"  said  the  girl, 
sighing  with  relief.  "My  lord,  you  may  stay  at 
my  house  as  long  as  you  choose,  even  ten  or  twenty 
days,  nay  ten  or  a  hundred  years."  With  these 
words  she  dropped  her  face,  and  clinging  to  his 
sleeve,  would  not  let  him  go. 

"You  are  very  kind,"  said  Yoshimin6.     "You 

1  The  Goddess  of  Mercy. 


cS 

I 
t/i 

I 


THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY       347 

don't  yearn  for  me  in  vain,"  and  he  pressed  her 
hand. 

Her  cheeks  were  covered  with  blushes,  and  she 
drew  closer  to  him.  In  another  moment  they 
were  clasped  in  a  close  embrace.  At  that  moment 
they  heard  footsteps  outside.  They  were  so 
startled  that  they  sprang  apart,  and  Yoshimin6 
hastened  upstairs,  leaving  the  girl  behind. 

O-Fune  remained  as  one  in  a  dream.  Suddenly 
her  father's  assistant  Rokuzo  rushed  in  with  a 
sword  at  his  side  and  a  fierce  expression  on  his 
face.  He  said  in  a  whisper:  "I  am  sure  the  two 
people  upstairs  are  Nitta  refugees.  Yes,  the  man 
must  be  Yoshimine."  With  these  words  he  was 
on  the  point  of  darting  up,  when  the  girl  suddenly 
sprang  to  her  feet,  and  barred  his  way. 

"Rokuzo!"  she  cried.  "What  do  you  mean  to 
do  with  the  travellers?" 

"Why,  girl,"  answered  he  angrily.  "I  intend 
to  bind  them  fast,  and  gain  a  reward.  Out  of  my 
way!" 

O-Fune  reflected  a  moment  and  hurriedly  made 
her  plans.  She  smiled  archly  and  said:  "Well, 
I  won't  use  force  against  you,  Rokuzo.  But  you 
know  the  man  is  a  strong  warrior.  ^  I  fear  that 


348  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

you  may  be  beaten  and  hurt.  If  you  risk  your 
life  merely  to  gain  a  miserable  reward,  all  your 
fine  speeches  to  me  are  but  lies.  You  have  often 
asked  me  to  be  your  wife.  If  you  wish  to  marry 
me,  you  must  take  care  of  yourself." 

"Do  you  really  mean  what  you  say,  my  dear 
O-Fune?"  asked  Rokuzo,  his  tone  suddenly  soften- 
ing. "I  believe  that  you  are  enamoured  of 
that  fellow  upstairs,  and  deceiving  me  to  save 
his  life." 

"If  you  doubt  me  so  much,"  answered  she  pee- 
vishly, "you  had  better  do  as  you  please." 

"Well,  then,"  said  Rokuzo,  bursting  out  into  a 
cold  sweat.  "Do  you  intend  to  become  my  wife, 
if  I ?" 

"Yes,  of  course,"  assured  she,  looking  at  him 
tenderly.  "  If  you  understand  that  it  is  my  inten- 
tion to  save  you  from  getting  hurt,  it  would  be 
better  for  you  to  hasten,  and  consult  my  father 
about  the  matter.  He  has  gone  to  the  village 
headman's  house." 

"Well,  then,  I  will  go  there  and  see  him.  While 
I  am  away,  please  take  care  not  to  let  that  fellow 
upstairs  escape,  my  dear  wife." 

With  these  words,  Rokuzo  ran  out  joyfully. 


THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY       349 

O-Fune  heaved  a  sigh  of  relief  as  she  bolted  the 
gate.  She  then  returned  to  the  room,  and  pon- 
dered as  to  how  she  could  save  Yoshimine's  life. 

In  the  still  watches  of  that  night,  when  the 
crescent  moon  was  sadly  hanging  in  the  sky,  and 
the  confused  murmur  of  the  stream  alone  broke 
the  silence,  two  dark  figures  glided  out  of  the 
bamboo  brake,  which  was  situated  behind  the 
yard  of  Tombei's  house.  They  were  the  ferryman 
himself,  and  his  assistant. 

"We  must  make  no  noise,"  Tombei  whispered 
to  Rokuzo,  "or  my  daughter  may  awake  and 
hinder  us,  so  I  will  steal  in  alone.  You  will  keep 
a  sharp  watch  outside,  and  if  they  attempt  to 
escape,  despatch  them  without  a  moment's 
delay." 

The  old  man  tried  to  open  the  gate,  but  he  was 
so  feeble  that  it  would  not  open.  He  became  im- 
patient, and  drawing  his  great  sword,  he  cut  a 
hole  in  the  wall  with  it,  and  soon  found  himself 
inside.  He  then  went  underneath  the  upstairs 
parlour  and  thrust  his  sword  through  the  floor 
with  all  his  might.  Immediately  a  piercing  shriek 
was  heard  in  the  room  and  blood  clipped  down 


350  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

along  the  sword.  Rejoicing  at  his  success,  Tombei 
climbed  a  ladder,  and  kicking  away  the  shqji, 
entered  the  room.  He  tore  the  bedclothes  from 
off  the  bed,  and  looked  at  the  face  on  which  the 
moonbeams  were  shining  brightly.  Alas !  It  was 
not  Yoshimin6,  but  Tombei's  own  daughter  O- 
Fune,  groaning,  with  the  blood  flowing  fast  from 
her  wounds. 

He  was  filled  with  astonishment,  but  instead  of 
aiding  the  unfortunate  girl,  he  roared  out  furi- 
ously: "Where  have  Yoshimine  and  the  woman 
fled  to  ?  Tell  me  at  once ! ' ' 

"Father!"  said  she  in  low  and  plaintive  tones, 
"I  am  ashamed  to  confess  the  truth,  but  I  fell 
deeply  in  love  with  the  traveller,  the  first  time  I 
saw  him.  I  was  astonished  to  hear  Rokuzo  say 
that  he  was  Yoshimine.  After  sending  Rokuzo 
away,  I  met  Yoshimine,  and  laid  bare  my  secret 
to  him.  He  said  he  could  not  marry  me  in  this 
life,  for  I  was  the  daughter  of  his  brother's  mur- 
derer. If,  however,  I  could  give  him  some  proof 
that  I  did  not  share  your  opinions,  he  would  gladly 
take  me  for  his  wife  in  the  next  world.  I  was 
overjoyed  with  his  promise,  but  told  him  that 
there  was  great  danger  in  his  staying  here  longer. 


Mr.  Utayemon  as  0-Fune  (on  the  left),  Mr.  DanshirO  as  Tombei  (on  the  right) 


THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY       351 

I  therefore  took  him  and  his  sister  beyond  the 
river,  by  boat " 

When  he  heard  her  words,  Tombei  flew  into  a 
terrible  passion.  Gnashing  his  teeth,  and  stamp- 
ing on  the  mat,  he  roared:  "Shameless  wanton! 
For  the  sake  of  your  love,  you  have  disclosed  your 
father's  great  secret,  and  let  a  bird  in  his  snare 
fly  away." 

With  these  words,  he  fell  upon  her  and  struck 
her  several  times  with  his  clenched  fist. 

"If  you  have  any  pity,"  entreated  O-Fun6, 
failing  under  the  double  weight  of  her  wound  and 
these  blows,  "give  up  your  evil  intention  and 
save  Yoshimine.  Pray  grant  my  request!" 

"Pshaw!"  said  the  unfeeling  ruffian,  smiling 
bitterly.  "If  I  let  Yoshimine  escape,  I  shall 
break  my  promise  to  Takezawa." 

The  girl  caught  at  his  sleeve,  but  he  thrust  her 
aside  and  leaped  down  into  the  yard.  Seizing  the 
rocket  which  was  standing  there  ready,  he  set  fire 
to  it.  The  signal  went  off  with  a  loud  report,  and 
at  the  alarm  trumpets  were  blown  in  the  villages. 

On  hearing  the  sound,  the  dying  maiden  started 
up  with  amazement,  and  thinking  that  Yoshimin6 
was  in  imminent  danger,  she  wept  bitterly. 


352  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

But  she  thought  of  a  happy  idea.  Looking  up 
at  the  drum  which  was  hanging  in  the  room,  she 
said  to  herself: 

"  I  have  heard  that  this  drum  is  to  be  beaten  as  a 
signal  that  a  refugee  has  been  caught .  If  they  should 
hear  it,  the}''  would  cease  to  look  for  any  one.  Here 
is  my  chance  of  saving  my  dear  Lord  Yoshimine." 

Her  courage  revived  when  she  thought  this, 
and  reaching  out  her  trembling  hand,  she  took 
the  drum-stick  and  gave  the  drum  one  strong  blow. 

Rokuzo,  who  was  on  the  watch  downstairs, 
was  amazed  at  the  sound  of  the  drum.  He  rushed 
up  and  tried  to  drag  O-Fune  away,  but  she  made 
a  desperate  effort  to  push  him  off.  While  they 
were  struggling  thus,  Tombei  jumped  into  a  boat 
and  sculled  it  with  might  and  main  in  pursuit  of 
Yoshimine. 

When  O-Fune  saw  her  father  in  the  boat,  she 
became  frantic  with  despair,  and  uttered  several 
loud  screams.  "Father!  Father!"  she  cried. 
"Wait  just  one  moment ! "  It  was  in  vain.  Then 
she  seized  the  drum-stick  again,  but  Rokuzo  pre- 
vented her  once  more.  With  desperate  courage 
she  drew  a  dirk,  and  cut  at  the  rascal,  who  in 
trying  to  avoid  the  blade  of  her  dagger,  fell  head- 


•  THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY       353 

foremost  into  the  river.  When  she  was  thus  freed 
from  her  antagonist,  the  girl  seized  the  scabbard 
of  the  dirk,  and  beat  the  drum  continuously. 
Tombei  rowed  and  rowed  with  all  his  strength,  and 
Rokuzo,  being  a  powerful  swimmer,  in  spite  of  his 
wound,  swam  skilfully  across  the  swift  current  to- 
ward the  opposite  shore.  In  the  meantime,  O- 
Fune's  strokes  on  the  drum  became  weaker  and 
weaker,  until  she  fell  to  the  mat  utterly  exhausted, 
and  a  moment  later,  breathed  her  last. 

Tombei  soon  reached  the  shore,  and  leaping  up 
the  bank,  ran  fast.  Yoshimine,  who  was  hiding 
behind  a  bush,  suddenly  rushed  out  with  a  drawn 
sword  in  his  hand  and  cried:  "Prepare  for  death, 
murderer  of  my  brother!" 

The  old  man  was  undaunted,  and  took  up  the 
challenge,  and  they  closed  in  desperate  single 
combat.  But  very  soon  Tombei  accidentally 
stumbled,  and  Yoshimine  held  him  down,  with 
the  intention  of  cutting  off  his  head.  At  this 
moment  RokuzO  ran  up,  and  catching  Utena 
who  was  standing  near,  by  the  hair,  cried:  "  Yoshi- 
min6,  if  you  kill  my  master,  I  will  take  revenge 
on  this  woman!" 

Yoshimine  was  quite  taken  aback  at  this  threat 

23 


354  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

and  involuntarily  slackened  his  hold.  Seizing  the 
opportunity,  Tombei  shook  himself  free  from  the 
warrior's  grasp,  and  in  his  turn,  held  the  other 
down.  Then  Rokuzo  came  to  assist  his  master 
and  struck  Yoshimine  severely  with  a  stout  pole, 
and  the  hapless  samurai  seemed  to  be  on  the  verge 
of  destruction.  But  at  that  moment,  two  white- 
feathered  arrows  came  whizzing  through  the  air 
and  lodged  in  the  throats  of  the  villains,  who  fell 
to  the  ground  dead. 

Yoshimine  sprang  up  and  gazed  round  to  see 
what  wonderful  fate  had  saved  him  from  the  jaws 
of  death.  He  then  drew  out  the  arrows  and  ex- 
amined them  carefully.  To  his  great  astonish- 
ment and  boundless  joy,  they  proved  to  be  the 
arrows  "Suiha,"  and  "Hyoha,"  which  had  been 
stolen  from  him  at  the  Capital.  A  paper  was 
tied  to  one  of  them,  and  holding  it  in  the  light  of 
the  moon,  he  read  the  following : 

"  To  YOSHIMINE, 

The  loss  of  these  arrows  would  be  a  great  disgrace 
to  the  Nittas.  I  have  therefore  seized  them  from  the 
hands  of  the  enemy,  in  order  to  give  them  back  to 
you. 

From  your  brother, 

YOSHI-OKI." 


THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY       355 

Yoshimine  was  filled  with  an  ecstasy  of  joy,  and 
turning  to  Utena,  said:  "How  glad  I  am,  my  dear 
Utena.  My  brother  is  dead,  but  his  spirit  still 
remains  in  this  world  to  protect  us.  The  best 
means  by  which  I  can  requite  his  great  kindness 
is  to  gather  together  all  loyal  patriots  and  destroy 
the  traitor,  Taka-uji,  and  the  cruel  murderer  of 
my  brother." 

At  that  moment  numerous  torchlights  and  lan- 
terns were  seen  gleaming  brightly  on  the  opposite 
bank.  It  seemed  as  if  a  large  number  of  men  had 
come  to  pursue  them.  Yoshimine  and  his  love, 
in  order  to  escape  their  foes,  fled  as  fast  as  they 
were  able. 

Shortly  afterwards,  Takezawa  Kemmotsu  ap- 
peared with  several  soldiers.  They  instantly 
sprang  into  a  boat  and  rowed  with  might  and 
main.  When  the  party  had  reached  the  centre 
of  the  stream  a  wonderful  thing  happened.  A 
storm  accompanied  by  thunder  and  lightning 
suddenly  arose  and  the  water  was  covered  with 

huge  billows.     The  soldiers  were  terrified  at  this 

/ 

awful  sight,  and  dropping  their  oars,  they  left  the 
boat  to  the  mercy  of  the  waves.  Kemmotsu 
sprang  up  and  glaring  at  the  sky,  cried:  "Don't 


356  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

be  afraid,  my  men.  This  storm  is  doubtless 
caused  by  the  ghost  of  Yoshimine."  Hardly  had 
these  words  left  his  lips,  when  a  voice  cried  from 
overhead : 

"Harken!  Takezawa  Kemmotsu.  The  spirit 
of  Nitta  Yoshi-oki,  who  was  murdered  here  by 
means  of  your  vile  scheme,  has  returned  to  take 
its  revenge  on  you." 

Then  waves  as  high  as  hills  dashed  against  the 
boat  and  broke  it  in  pieces,  and  all  the  soldiers 
were  drowned.  The  stout-hearted  Kemmotsu 
was  not  killed,  however,  and  for  some  minutes  he 
battled  valiantly  with  the  waves.  Suddenly  there 
was  a  loud  peal  of  thunder,  and  the  clouds  parted. 
In  the  midst  of  them  appeared  the  figure  of  Yoshi- 
oki,  clad  in  armour  and  riding  on  horseback. 
Around  him  were  standing  the  vivid  figures  of  the 
ten  officers  who  had  shared  his  fate.  The  spectre 
of  Yoshi-oki  swept  down  upon  Kemmotsu,  and 
seizing  his  hair,  cleft  his  head  in  two. 


Soon  after  the  events  narrated  above  had  taken 
place,  peace  was  concluded  between  the  South- 
ern and  Northern  dynasties.  Taka-uji  erected  a 


S3 
'fi 


THE  MIRACLE  AT  THE  FERRY       357 

shrine  at  the  ferry  of  Yaguchi,  in  memory  of  Nitta 
Yoshi-oki  and  his  ten  officers.  Great  festivities 
were  held  in  honour  of  the  completion  of  the  shrine, 
at  which  Yoshi-oki's  son  Tokuju-maru,  Yoshimind, 
Yura  HyOgo,  and  several  of  Yoshimine's  retainers, 
were  present,  also  some  Imperial  messengers. 
Crowds  of  people  of  the  district  gathered  together 
and  solemn  and  magnificent  ceremonies  were  held. 
The  Nitta  Shrine,  with  the  two  famous  arrows  in 
its  sanctuary,  is  still  standing,  and  may  be  seen 
to  the  present  day. 


TKe  Battles  of  lioKusenya 

From 

The  f^okusenya  J^assen 

By 

CKiKamatsia  Monzayemon 


|HE  Emperor  ShisO  of  the  Ming  dy- 
nasty of  China  was  a  feeble-minded 
and  luxurious  man.  He  kept  a 
number  of  beautiful  women  in  his 
palaces  at  Nanking,  with  whom  he  indulged 
in  all  kinds  of  sensual  pleasures,  both  by  day 
and  night.  The  King  of  Tartary,  taking  ad- 
vantage of  the  Emperor's  weakness,  made  up 
his  mind  to  undermine  the  Ming  dynasty,  and  to 
take  possession  of  the  Empire.  Therefore,  with 
this  end  in  view,  he  strenuously  drilled  his  troops. 
But  the  imbecile  Emperor  was  quite  ignorant  of 
the  dark  schemes  of  the  Northern  Chieftain ;  and 
he  spent  all  his  time  enjoying  himself  in  the  harem 
with  his  concubines.  Consequently  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Empire  was  entirely  neglected,  and 
it  was  an  easy  matter  for  the  Tartar  troops  to 
march,  at  any  moment,  upon  the  castle. 

Tei  ShiryO,  a  trusted  minister  of  the  Emperor, 
361 


362  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

many  times  warned  him  of  the  approaching  danger ; 
but  the  Emperor  not  only  refused  to  listen  to  his 
advice,  but  flew  into  such  a  terrible  rage,  tha.t  he 
deprived  his  faithful  minister  of  his  rank  and  office, 
and  finally  banished  him  from  the  Empire. 

There  was  at  that  time  attached  to  the  Court 
a  knavish  flatterer  named  Ri  Toten.  After  the 
banishment  of  Tei  ShiryO,  the  Emperor  treated 
this  rogue  with  such  favour  that  he  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  Prime  Minister.  But  this  Ri  Toten 
had  been  treacherously  holding  secret  communica- 
tion with  the  Tartar  King,  and  had  been  plotting 
to  guide  the  Tartar  army  into  the  Imperial  Castle, 
when  a  favourable  opportunity  should  occur,  in 
order  that  the  Ming  dynasty  might  be  destroyed. 

General  Go  Sankei  soon  saw  through  this  hide- 
ous plot,  and  several  times  advised  the  Emperor 
to  rid  himself  of  the  traitor.  But  the  Emperor 
was  completely  deceived  by  Ri  Toten's  oily  and 
flattering  speeches,  and  entrusted  to  him  the  man- 
agement of  all  public  affairs,  both  great  and  small. 

One  day  an  envoy  of  the  Tartar  King  arrived, 
with  many  valuable  gifts,  and  brought  forth  a  re- 
quest from  his  master  that  the  Emperor's  favourite 
concubine,  Madame  Kwasei,  should  be  given  to 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENYA       363 

him,  for  he  wished  to  make  her  his  queen,  and  thus 
ensure  a  firm  friendship  between  the  two  powers. 
The  Emperor  and  his  Court  were  greatly  amazed 
at  this  demand,  as  Kwasei  was  at  that  time  hoping 
to  give  birth  to  a  son  and  heir  to  the  Ming  throne. 
Ri  Toten  tried  to  persuade  the  Emperor  to  agree 
to  the  request;  but  Go  Sankei  protested  against 
it  with  great  indignation,  and  ordered  the  Tartar 
King's  gifts  to  be  removed.  The  Tartar  envoy, 
who  was  very  enraged,  replied:  "If  you  refuse,  I 
shall  be  obliged  to  use  force,  and  carry  off  Madame 
Kwasei  and  the  Emperor  as  prisoners."  With 
these  words,  he  was  on  the  point  of  striding  angrily 
from  the  presence  of  the  Emperor,  but  Ri  Toten 
made  an  effort  to  pacify  him.  To  make  his  appeal 
more  forcible,  he  took  a  dagger  in  his  hand  and 
with  it  gouged  out  his  own  left  eye,  and  placing 
it  on  a  slab  of  ivory,  handed  it  to  the  envoy, 
saying:  "I,  Prime  Minister  of  China,  respectfully 
present  this  to  His  Majesty,  the  King  of  Tartary, 
as  a  token  of  apology  for  the  insult  which  General 
Go  Sankei  has  offered  to  His  Majesty,  and  to  Your 
Excellency." 

The  envoy  received  it  with  great  respect  and 
departed. 


364  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Ri  Toten  had  done  this  painful  deed  by  way  of 
making  a  vow  of  allegiance  to  the  King  of  Tartary. 
But  the  Emperor  took  it  to  be  an  act  of  noble  self- 
sacrifice  for  his  own  sake,  and  bestowed  greater 
favours  than  ever  on  this  traitorous  minister, 
until  he  thought  he  would  give  his  younger  sister, 
Princess  Sendan,  to  him  in  marriage. 

Princess  Sendan  was  a  beautiful  and  accom- 
plished girl  of  sixteen  summers,  who  was  well  versed 
in  literature  and  intellectual  in  every  way.  The 
Emperor  repeatedly  urged  her  to  accept  Ri  Toten's 
suit,  but  she  persistently  refused.  At  last  he 
thought  of  a  plan.  He  ordered  that  two  hundred 
of  the  beautiful  inmates  of  his  harem  should  be 
divided  into  two  squadrons.  Each  member  of 
one  squadron  was  to  bear  a  branch  of  flowering 
plum,  and  each  member  of  the  other  was  to  bear 
a  branch  of  cherry.  The  plum-blossom  party 
was  to  be  commanded  by  the  Princess,  and  the 
cherry-blossom  party  by  the  Emperor  himself, 
and  in  that  manner  a  "battle  of  flowers"  was  to 
be  fought.  The  Emperor  suggested  that  the  result 
of  the  battle  should  decide  what  answer  his  sister 
should  give  to  Ri  Toten's  proposal.  The  Princess 
agreed  to  this,  and  the  two  parties  fought  pellmell 


f 

o 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENYA       365 

» 

with  loud  cries.  A  brilliant  spectacle  was  pro- 
vided by  the  gay  clothes  of  the  young  ladies  flutter- 
ing in  the  air,  and  the  beautiful  petals  of  the 
flowers  scattering  around.  Go  Sankei  heard  the 
sound  of  the  battle,  and  dressed  from  head  to  foot 
in  a  suit  of  mail,  rushed  in  and  was  astonished  at 
the  sight.  He  seized  the  plum  and  cherry  branches 
from  the  hands  of  the  combatants,  broke  them  to 
pieces,  and  drove  off  both  squadrons.  Then  he 
knelt  before  the  Emperor  and  fearlessly  remon- 
strated with  him:  "This  is  not  the  time  for  Your 
Majesty  to  fight  a  'battle  of  flowers.'  The 
Northern  barbarians  are,  even  at  this  moment, 
eagerly  watching  for  an  opportunity  to  invade  our 
country." 

The  Emperor  flew  into  a  violent  and  unreason- 
able rage,  and  raising  his  foot,  he  dealt  the  General 
a  kick  on  the  forehead. 

Suddenly  a  confused  sound  of  conches,  drums, 
and  deafening  battle-shouts  was  heard  from  all 
sides.  Go  Sankei  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  rushing 
up  .the  tower,  looked  eagerly  about  him.  To  his 
horror,  he  saw  that  the  fields,  mountains,  and  for- 
ests were  covered  with  soldiers.  Swarms  of  Tartars 
had  arrived  and  were  surrounding  the  palaces. 


366  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

The  Tartar  General  cried  aloud:  "Think  you  that 
the  love  of  our  King  for  Madame  Kwasei  is 
genuine?  Nay,  it  is  all  a  pretence.  His  real  ob- 
ject in  asking  for  her,  was  that  he  might  destroy 
the  unborn  heir  to  the  Ming  throne.  Lord  Ri 
Toten  gouged  out  his  eye  as  a  sign  of  allegiance 
to  our  King,  and  we  have  hastened  therefore  to 
attack  you.  Say !  General  Go  Sankei !  Will  you 
take  the  Emperor  and  Madame  Kwasei  prisoners 
and  surrender  yourself  to  us  with  them?" 

"Pshaw!"  retorted  Go  Sankei  angrily,  "so 
you  barbarians  wish  to  destroy  the  'Great  Light* 
dynasty  which  has  ruled  over  this  country  for  at 
least  two  centuries.  You  might  as  easily  try  to 
destroy  a  huge  whale!  Your  best  course  is  to 
turn  and  flee  for  your  lives." 

But  his  troops  numbered  scarcely  more  than 
one  hundred  men.  It  was  impossible  to  fight 
against  such  tremendous  odds.  He  gnashed  his 
teeth  and  clenched  his  fists  in  mortification. 

His  wife  Ryuka  now  appeared,  bearing  their 
infant  on  one  arm,  and  leading  Madame  Kwasei 
by  the  other  hand. 

"Alas!  Madame,"  she  said,  bursting  into  tears. 
"  The  Court  nobles  and  ministers  of  state,  down  to 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENY/t       367 

the  officers  and  soldiers,  have  all  taken  the  side  of 
Ri  Toten,  and  only  a  few  of  us  remain  to  support 
you!" 

"It  is  useless  to  indulge  in  mere  regrets,"  said 
Go  Sankei,  "now  that  matters  have  come  to  this 
pass.  As  Madame  will  shortly  become  the  mother 
of  an  Imperial  heir,  we  must  take  special  care  of 
Her  Highness.  I  will  therefore  protect  her  my- 
self, and  fight  my  way  to  find  some  place  of  safety 
for  her.  Give  the  baby  to  me,  and  I  will  take 
care  of  it  myself.  As  to  you,  my  wife,  you  will 
attend  to  Her  Highness  Princess  Sendan,  and  flee 
with  her  to  the  sea-shore." 

He  then  went  out,  and  cried  aloud : 

"Behold  General  Go  Sankei,  a  loyal  warrior 
of  the  Ming  dynasty!"  and  gathering  together  his 
small  band  of  soldiers,  he  plunged  into  the  enemy's 
lines,  and  cut  and  hewed  around  him,  as  if  he 
possessed  supernatural  powers. 

Whilst  Go  Sankei  was  absent,  the  traitor  Ri 
Toten  and  his  younger  brother  Ri  Kaiho,  forced 
their  way  into  the  inner  apartments  of  the  palaces. 
They  seized  the  Emperor,  and  with  great  cruelty 
struck  off  his  head.  Ordering  his  brother  to  cap- 
ture Madame  Kwasei,  Ri  Toten  departed,  taking 


368  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

with  him  the  head  of  the  dead  Emperor.  When 
Ri  Kaiho  found  Madame  Kwasei,  he  bound  her 
with  ropes,  and  was  about  to  take  her  a  prisoner 
to  the  Tartar  army,  when  Go  Sankei  returned  to 
the  palace. 

When  he  caught  sight  of  the  Emperor's  headless 
body,  he  was  filled  with  consternation  and  sorrow. 
But  mustering  up  his  courage  he  seized  his  sword, 
and  with  a  single  blow,  cleft  Kaiho  in  two.  He 
then  released  Kwasei,  and  beating  off  the  pursuing 
troops,  made  his  way  with  great  difficulty  to  a 
sea-port,  accompanied  by  her,  and  carrying  his 
infant  in  his  bosom. 

As  he  intended  to  cross  over  to  a  place  of  safety 
he  looked  about  the  harbour,  but  could  not  see 
a  single  boat.  While  he  stood  there,  not  knowing 
what  to  do  or  where  to  turn,  bullets  were  fall- 
ing as  thick  as  hailstones.  Suddenly  to  his 
horror,  a  bullet  struck  Kwasei  in  the  breast,  and 
she  immediately  fell  to  the  ground,  dead  and 
covered  with  blood. 

The  brave  warrior  burst  into  tears  of  grief  and 
despair,  and  for  a  time  was  at  a  loss  what  to  do. 

However,  he  pulled  himself  together,  and  said: 
"Her  Highness  is  now  no  more  but  I  think  there 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENYA       369 

still  remains  some  hope  with  her  unborn  babe. 
Oh,  dear  lady,  for  the  sake  of  the  Ming  dynasty, 
I  am  compelled  to  cruelly  desecrate  your  body! 
Pardon  me!"  So  saying,  he  drew  his  sword  and 
with  its  blade  opened  her  body.  The  blood  imme- 
diately gushed  forth,  but  in  the  midst  of  it  there 
appeared  a  beautiful  boy,  uttering  his  first  cry 
of  infancy.  Go  Sankei  was  overjoyed  at  seeing 
this,  and  he  tore  off  the  sleeve  of  the  dead  lady's 
dress  and  wrapped  the  baby  in  it.  "Stay!"  he 
reflected.  "If  the  enemy  discover  the  Royal 
mother's  dead  body,  and  find  that  the  child  is 
missing,  they  will  search  till  they  find  it." 

So  drawing  his  dagger,  he  plunged  it  into  his 
own  child's  heart,  and  put  the  tiny  corpse  into 
the  dead  lady's  body.  Then  he  said  to  himself: 
"All  is  well."  After  that  he  went  away  with  the 
baby  Prince  in  his  bosom,  hot  tears  of  grief  fast 
rolling  down  his  cheek.  It  was  a  tragedy  so 
terrible  as  to  be  almost  inconceivable. 

In  the  meantime,  Go  Sankei's  wife  Ryuka  and 
Princess  Sendan  had  also  come  to  a  place  of  safety. 
But,  as  they  were  hotly  pursued  by  the  enemy's 
troops,  they  hid  among  a  thicket  of  reeds  by  the 
sea-shore.  A  Tartar  officer  named  Godatsu  took 

*4 


370  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

a  small  boat  and  searched  thoroughly  all  the 
creeks  near  them,  until  at  last  he  discovered  them. 
Quick  as  thought  Ryuka  seized  his  oar  and  struck 
him  with  all  her  strength.  Losing  his  balance 
he  went  head  foremost  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea, 
and  when  he  rose  again  to  the  surface  he  was  dead. 
Ryuka  was  delighted  at  her  skill,  and  then,  lead- 
ing the  Princess  to  the  boat,  was  on  the  point  of 
embarking  with  her,  when  about  twenty  soldiers 
appeared  on  the  scene. 

A  severe  struggle  immediately  took  place,  in 
which  Ryuka  succeeded  in  driving  off  the  soldiers. 
But  during  the  fight  she  unfortunately  received 
a  mortal  wound.  "Alas!  Your  Highness,"  said 
she,  with  groans.  "I  can  accompany  you  no 
longer.  You  had  better  trust  to  the  tide,  and 
make  your  hiding-place  wherever  the  boat  carries 
you.  May  the  God  of  the  sea  protect  the  sister 
of  the  Emperor." 

With  these  words  the  dying  woman  exerted 
all  her  strength  and  pushed  off  the  boat  in  which 
the  Princess  was  seated.  The  boat,  carried  by  the 
wind  and  ebb-tide,  went  farther  and  farther  out 
into  the  open  sea.  Thus  the  two  women  weeping 
bitterly  were  separated  for  ever. 


II 


WE  have  seen  that  Tei  Shiryo",  the  loyal  min- 
ister of  the  Ming  dynasty,  had  been  banished  by 
the  Emperor  Shiso.  Afterwards  he  went  over  to 
Japan,  and  settled  in  a  fishing  village  at  Hirado, 
Kyushu.  Whilst  there,  he  married  a  Japanese 
woman  who  bore  him  a  son  called  Seiko,  which 
name  was  afterwards  changed  to  Kokusenya. 

Kokusenya  was  brought  up  among  ignorant 
fishermen,  and  his  occupation  was  also  fishing. 
He  was  distinguished  alike  for  sagacity  and  energy. 
From  childhood  he  was  always  a  voracious  reader 
of  biographies  of  heroes;  and  when  he  became  a 
young  man  he  devoted  his  leisure  time  to  a  careful 
study  of  Chinese  and  Japanese  classics,  and  of 
tactics  and  military  arts,  in  which  he  attained 
wonderful  proficiency.  He  afterwards  wedded  a 
Japanese  woman  named  Komutsu,  with  whom  he 
lived  a  happy  married  life. 

One  day,  the  young  couple  were  wandering  on 
the  sea-shore  collecting  shell-fish.  Suddenly  they 
saw  an  enormous  clam,  which  opened  its  shells 


372  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

and  spouted  forth  a  column  of  water.  Almost 
immediately  afterwards,  a  snipe  flew  down,  in- 
tending to  make  the  shell-fish  its  prey.  The 
eager  bird  hopped  on  to  the  clam,  and  thrust  its 
sharp  beak  between  its  shells.  The  clam  instantly 
shut  its  shells  and  the  bird's  beak  was  held  fast. 
The  snipe,  disappointed  to  find  that  its  antagonist 
was  so  brave,  flapped  its  wings  vigorously,  shook 
its  head,  and  struggled  hard  to  break  the  clam  on  a 
rock.  But  it  was  not  to  be  so  easily  vanquished. 
It  tried  its  utmost  to  drag  the  snipe  into  the  water. 

The  bird  was  irritated  at  this,  and  spreading 
its  wings,  it  flew  up  about  ten  feet  into  the  air; 
but  the  struggling  clam  was  too  heavy,  so  it  fell 
to  the  earth  again.  Then  it  flew  up,  and  fell 
down  again  several  times.  It  seemed  impossible  to 
foretell  which  would  be  the  victor,  and  when  their 
combat  would  end. 

Kokusenya  looked  intently  at  the  scene  for 
some  minutes.  Then  he  thought  to  himself: 
"I  can  see  here  a  great  secret  in  tactics.  I  have 
studied  tactics  under  my  father's  tuition  for  many 
years,  but  the  lesson  I  have  learned  to-day  from 
the  battle  between  the  snipe  and  the  clam  is  the 
greatest  of  all.  The  clam,  relying  on  its  hard 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENYA       373 

shells,  did  not  expect  an  attack  from  a  snipe.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  snipe,  proud  of  its  sharp  beak, 
was  quite  ignorant  of  the  seizing  powers  of  the 
clam.  The  snipe  struggled  to  shake  the  clam  off, 
but  the  clam  would  not  loosen  its  hold.  Both  are 
now  much  too  intent  on  their  own  respective 
purposes  to  pay  any  attention  to  anything  else. 
So  I  can  easily  catch  them  both  without  the  least 
effort.  Hard  shells  or  a  sharp  beak  would  be  of 
no  avail  against  me.  A  great  tactical  secret  lies 
in  this.  One  can  easily  conquer  two  heroes  who 
are  fighting  each  other.  Well,  I  hear  that  in 
China,  my  father's  country,  the  Ming  dynasty 
and  the  King  of  Tartary  are  now  at  war  with 
each  other,  and  the  Chinese  Empire  is  in  a  state 
of  great  turmoil.  I  will  take  this  opportunity  to 
cross  over  to  China  and  conquer  the  two  powers 
that  are  fighting  each  other.  It  would  be  an  easy 
task  and  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  try  it." 

Reflecting  thus,  Kokusenya  continued  to  watch 
the  fight  between  the  clam  and  the  snipe.  His 
wife,  Komutsu,  was  quite  unaware  of  her  husband's 
heroic  determination.  Taking  compassion  on  the 
frightened  animals,  she  pulled  out  a  hairpin,  and 
with  it  opened  the  shells  of  the  clam.  The  snipe 


374  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

was  delighted  to  find  itself  free  and  immediately 
flew  away  to  some  reeds  which  were  growing  at 
a  little  distance  from  that  spot;  while  the  clam 
sank  to  the  bottom  of  the  water. 

The  sun  was  setting  and  the  rain  was  beginning 
to  patter  down.  Kokiisenya  and  his  wife  were 
just  preparing  to  go  home,  when  they  were  sur- 
prised to  see  a  curious-shaped  boat  approaching. 
To  their  astonishment,  a  beautiful  and  noble- 
looking  maiden  was  sitting  in  it.  She  seemed  to 
be  exhausted  like  "a  kaido  blossom  tortured  by 
rain." 

"Oh!"  whispered  Komutsu,  "she  looks  like  a 
Chinese  beauty,  such  as  one  often  sees  in  pictures. 
I  suppose  she  has  been  exiled  to  some  island  on 
account  of  an  intrigue." 

"  I  thought  she  must  be  the  ghost  of  the  beauti- 
ful Empress  Yoki." 

"If  you  were  in  China,  you  could  have  taken 
such  a  beautiful  girl  to  be  your  wife.  What  a 
pity  it  is  that  you  were  born  in  Japan,  and  have 
married  a  woman  like  myself .  Ha!  Ha!" 

As  they  laughed  and  talked  in  this  manner, 
the  beautiful  damsel  came  ashore,  and  stepping 
out  of  the  boat,  said  something  eagerly  to  them. 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENYA       375 

But  Komutsu  did  not  understand  her  language 
which  afterwards  proved  to  be  Chinese.  Koku- 
senya,  who  had  learned  that  language  from  his 
father,  listened  attentively  to  the  maiden,  and 
was  astonished  to  hear  that  she  was  Princess  Sen- 
dan,  the  younger  sister  of  the  Chinese  Emperor, 
and  that  she  had  drifted  over  from  China.  He 
was  rilled  with  grief  and  indignation  when  she 
told  him,  with  fast  falling  tears,  of  all  the  terrible 
things  that  had  happened  in  her  country.  So  he 
made  up  his  mind  to  do  his  best  to  restore  the 
Ming  dynasty.  His  wife  had  no  knowledge  of 
what  was  passing  in  his  mind,  and  was  filled  with 
intense  jealousy  when  she  saw  Kokusenya  talking 
familiarly  with  the  beautiful  girl.  At  last  her 
feelings  got  the  better  of  her,  and  she  burst  into 
tears.  "You  hussy!"  she  cried,  "you  have  come 
from  China  to  steal  the  affections  of  my  hus- 
band from  me !  See  with  what  kindness  and  gen- 
tleness you  treat  him !  Thus  I  will  reward  your 
wantonness!" 

So  saying,  she  seized  a  hoe,  and  was  about  to 
strike  the  maiden  with  it,  when  Kokusenya  caught 
her  uplifted  arm,  saying:  "  Do  not  be  so  rash,  wife! 
This  lady  is  Her  Highness  Princess  Sendan,  the 


376  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

younger  sister  of  the  Chinese  Emperor  of  whom  my 
father  has  so  often  told  us.  A  horrible  thing  has 
happened.  China  has  been  invaded  by  barbari- 
ans, the  Emperor  has  been  cruelly  murdered,  and 
Her  Highness  has  come  over  to  Japan  in  that 
wretched  boat,  to  seek  shelter.  I  should  very 
much  like  to  conduct  Her  Highness  at  once  to  our 
home;  but  if  I  did  so,  the  Governor  of  the  county 
and  the  village  headman  would  send  policemen 
to  capture  her.  I  must  see  my  father,  and  ask 
his  advice  about  the  matter.  So  you  must  hasten 
home,  and  bring  him  here  immediately." 

KomutvSU  was  greatly  ashamed  at  her  hastiness, 
and  made  a  most  respectful  obeisance  to  the 
Princess,  and  after  apologizing  very  profusely, 
hurried  home. 

Kokusenya's  father  and  mother,  who  had  been 
on  a  visit  to  the  shrine  of  the  tutelary  god,  hap- 
pened to  pass  along  the  sea-shore  on  their  way 
home.  Kokusenya  was  delighted  to  see  them,  and 
calling  them  to  him,  gave  them  a  brief  account 
of  what  the  Princess  had  told  him. 

Afterwards  he  presented  his  parents  to  her. 
When  Tei  Shiryo  heard  of  the  death  of  the  Em- 
peror, he  burst  into  tears. 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENYA       377 

"I  am  greatly  honoured,  and  pleased  to  see 
Your  Highness,"  said  he,  making  a  low  obeisance 
to  her.  "  You  may  have  heard  of  me.  I  am  Tei 
Shiryo,  formerly  a  minister  of  the  late  most 
lamented  Emperor.  It  is  true  that  my  wife  and 
son  are  Japanese,  but  we  should  be  monsters  of 
ingratitude  if  we  did  not  do  our  best  to  repay  the 
Emperor  for  all  his  favours.  I  am  old,  but  my 
son  is  young  and  brave,  and  well-skilled  in  tactics 
and  military  arts.  So  he  can  be  of  some  service 
to  you.  I  assure  you  that  we  shall  not  rest  a 
moment  until  we  have  restored  the  Ming  dynasty, 
and  calmed  the  unrestful  soul  of  the  deceased 
Emperor.  Have  no  doubts  on  that  point,  dear 
lady!" 

"Are  you  indeed  Tei  Shiryo,"  asked  the  Prin- 
cess, "of  whom  I  have  so  often  heard?  Many 
thanks  for  your  loyal  and  grateful  intentions. 
May  Heaven  help  you  in  your  gallant  under- 
taking— ";  with  these  words  speech  failed  her, 
and  she  was  overcome  with  emotion. 

Then  Kokusenya  and  his  parents  consulted 
together,  and  decided  that  he  should  immediately 
cross  over  to  China,  and  search  for  General  Go 
Sankei,  and  with  his  assistance  undertake  the 


378  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

restoration  of  the  Ming  dynasty.  His  parents 
arranged  to  sail  there  after  his  departure,  and 
agreed  to  meet  him  at  Senri-ga-Take,  a  famous 
bamboo  forest  in  China.  It  was  planned  that 
the  Princess  should  accompany  Kokusenya  on  a 
part  of  his  voyage,  and  take  shelter  on  some  suit- 
able isle,  and  he  should  send  for  her  as  soon  as  a 
favourable  opportunity  should  occur. 

After  the  discussion  was  over,  Kokusenya  bade 
his  parents  farewell,  and  taking  the  Princess  by 
the  hand  proceeded  to  go  on  board  the  boat  with 
her.  At  this  moment  his  wife  returned,  and  when 
she  saw  what  was  taking  place,  she  was  filled  with 
amazement.  She  concluded  that  all  three  of  them 
had  agreed  to  cross  over  to  China,  and  leave  her 
behind.  When  they  were  in  China,  she  was  con- 
vinced, her  husband  would  make  the  Princess  his 
wife.  Her  jealousy  then  got  the  better  of  her, 
and  she  wept  and  stormed  like  a  virago.  Koku- 
senya tried  to  explain  matters  to  her,  but  she 
would  not  listen.  He  was  so  perplexed  that  he 
did  not  know  what  to  do;  so  he  raised  an  oar  to 
defend  himself  against  her  attacks.  Suddenly 
she  threw  herself  on  her  face  and  cried  out:  "Kill 
me!  Kill  me!  My  only  desire  is  to  die  by  my 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENYA       379 

dear  husband's  hand — but  it  is  impossible  for  you 
to  kill  me  with  an  oar.  I  must  kill  myself,  for  I 
cannot  live  another  minute." 

With  these  words  she  was  about  to  throw  her- 
self into  the  sea,  when  Kokusenya  seized  her  by 
the  arm.  "Dearest  wife,"  he  said  kindly,  "my 
admiration  and  love  for  you  is  beyond  expression. 
This  is  a  proof  of  your  faithfulness.  I  will  leave 
Her  Highness  in  your  charge.  You  will  serve  her 
with  your  utmost  care  while  I  am  away.  When 
I  send  a  ship  for  her,  you  will  accompany  her  to 
China.  Always  trust  me,  my  dearest." 

"Forgive  me!"  begged  Komutsu,  quite  pacified 
by  his  reassuring  words.  "I  will  take  Her  High- 
ness under  my  care,  and  will  treat  her  with  every 
respect.  Don't  trouble  your  mind  about  us.  I 
hope  you  will  have  a  successful  voyage,  and  I 
shall  await  news  of  you.  Farewell,  dear  husband ! " 

Then  Kokusenya  took  leave  of  them  all,  and 
springing  into  the  boat,  set  sail  for  the  land  of  his 
father. 


Ill 

WHEN  Kokusenya  and  his  parents  arrived  in 
China,  they  found  that  the  Tartars  had  completely 
taken  possession  of  the  Empire.  They  were  un- 
able to  find  out  what  had  become  of  the  old  friends 
of  Tei  Shiryo,  and  no  one  could  tell  them  whether 
General  Go  Sankei  was  living  or  dead.  They 
were  therefore  greatly  at  a  loss  how  to  begin  their 
undertaking,  and  how  and  from  where  they  could 
gather  together  the  few  remaining  adherents  to 
the  Ming  dynasty.  After  a  great  deal  of  delay 
and  consultation,  they  made  up  their  minds  to 
ask  Kanki,  a  Chinese  potentate,  to  help  them.  In 
former  days,  when  Tei  Shiryo  had  lived  in  China, 
he  had  had  a  Chinese  wife  who  had  died,  leaving 
him  an  infant  daughter.  When  he  had  crossed 
over  to  Japan,  he  had  left  the  baby  in  charge  of  a 
nurse.  He  was  intensely  delighted  to  hear  that 
his  daughter  had  grown  up  safely,  and  was  now  the 
wife  of  General  Kanki,  who  was  the  lord  of  a  prov- 
ince, and  owned  a  large  castle.  Kanki  had  formerly 
been  one  of  the  Emperor  Shiso's  retainers,  but  he 

380 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENYA       381 

was  now  a  powerful  officer  of  the  King  of  Tartary. 
Tei  Shiryo  and  Kokusenya  thought  the  best  thing 
they  could  do  would  be  to  try  and  persuade  him 
to  espouse  their  cause.  So  they  set  out  for  his 
abode,  called  the  "Castle  of  the  Lion,"  which 
lay  about  three  hundred  miles  away. 

But  they  came  to  the  conclusion  that  if  they 
all  three  went  together,  they  would  arouse  the 
suspicion  of  the  people ;  so  they  agreed  to  go  sepa- 
rately, by  different  routes,  and  to  meet  at  the  foot 
of  Mount  Sekiheki,  near  the  "Castle  of  the  Lion." 
Tei  Shiryo  was  to  journey  by  himself,  and  Koku- 
senya with  his  mother  was  to  go  by  way  of  the 
famous  Senri-ga-Tak6.  Thus  they  set  out  on 
their  respective  ways. 

Whilst  they  were  travelling  through  the  vast 
bamboo  forest,  Kokusenya  and  his  mother  lost 
their  way,  and  were  uncertain  in  which  direction 
to  turn.  Suddenly  to  their  dismay,  they  heard 
a  confused  sound  of  cries,  and  the  beating  of  drums, 
and  sounds  of  trumpets.  They  listened  to  these 
sounds  with  considerable  alarm.  Soon  after  a 
gust  of  wind  arose,  which  made  the  sand  fly,  and 
the  leaves  were  shaken  off  the  trees.  The  next 
moment  a  large  tiger  sprang  out  of  the  thicket. 


382  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Kokusenya  was  not  at  all  frightened,  and  putting 
his  mother  in  a  safe  place  behind  him,  he  prepared 
to  fight  the  beast  with  open  hands;  for  he  would 
not  use  his  sword  against  it.  The  tiger,  glaring 
and  roaring,  sprang  at  him.  Kokusenya  encoun- 
tered it  with  great  skill,  at  one  moment  striking 
it  with  a  clenched  fist,  at  the  next  seizing  its  tail. 
Then  he  leaped  on  to  its  back  and  brought  it  down 
to  the  ground.  After  fighting  for  a  little  while, 
the  animal  drew  back  exhausted,  and  crouch- 
ing on  the  ground,  gasped  for  breath.  Then  the 
hero's  mother  ran  up  to  him  saying:  "We  are  both 
Japanese,  and  though  we  are  far  away  from  Japan, 
there  is  no  reason  why  the  gods  of  Japan  should 
not  protect  us!"  With  these  words  she  handed 
him  an  amulet  which  she  always  carried  about 
her  person.  Kokusenya  received  it  reverently, 
and  held  it  up  before  the  tiger,  which  suddenly 
dropped  its  tail,  drew  in  its  paws,  and  trembled 
with  fear. 

At  that  moment  a  large  band  of  Chinese  sol- 
diers appeared  on  the  scene,  and  their  captain 
cried  out:  "Stay!  That  tiger  is  our  property! 
We  have  hunted  it,  in  order  to  make  an  offering 
of  it  to  His  Majesty  the  King  of  Tartary  from  our 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENYA       383 

lord  His  Excellency  Ri  Toten.  I  order  you  to 
deliver  the  animal  to  us  at  once.  If  you  refuse, 
you  shall  die." 

Kokusenya  laughed.  "Well,"  he  said,  "if  you 
are  so  eager  to  have  this  tiger,  bring  your  master 
Ri  Toten  to  this  spot.  I  wish  to  see  him  and  to 
speak  to  him.  If  you  refuse  my  request,  I  will 
not  surrender  the  animal  to  you." 

The  soldiers  were  enraged  at  this  bold  challenge, 
and  rapidly  drawing  their  swords,  they  approached 
Kokusenya,  and  furiously  cut  at  him.  Before 
this  happened,  he  had  tied  the  amulet  around  the 
tiger's  neck,  and  drawing  his  great  sword  from 
its  scabbard,  he  waited  their  attack. 

One  of  the  Chinese  officers,  availing  himself  of 
the  chance  given  him  by  a  slight  delay,  rushed 
forward  to  attack  the  old  woman,  who  stood 
calmly  in  the  background.  Then  a  miracle  took 
place.  The  amulet,  which  was  around  the  tiger's 
neck,  inspired  the  beast,  and  roaring  furiously, 
it  sprang  at  the  officer.  Paralysed  with  fright  he 
immediately  took  to  his  heels.  Then  the  tiger 
rushed  at  the  other  soldiers  who  had  suffered 
severe  wounds  from  the  mighty  strokes  dealt 
them  by  Kokusenya.  They  were  frightened  out 


384  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

of  their  wits  and  found  it  impossible  to  withstand 
the  attacks  of  the  hero  and  the  tiger.  So  the  help- 
less wretches  flung  themselves  on  the  ground  be- 
fore Kokusenya  and  implored  his  mercy. 

Kokusenya  then  told  them  why  he  had  come 
over  from  Japan,  and  commanded  them  to  em- 
brace his  cause  and  fight  to  the  best  of  their 
ability  for  the  restoration  of  the  Ming  dynasty. 
They  could  have  no  reason  fo  refusing  to  obey 
him;  so  all  of  them,  numbering  some  thousands, 
at  once  surrendered  themselves  to  him,  and  an- 
nounced their  intention  of  regarding  him  as  their 
leader.  With  them  Kokusenya  formed  the  foun- 
dation of  a  mighty  army  which  was  afterwards 
to  conquer  the  Tartar  invaders.  With  these  newly 
recruited  troops  and  his  mother,  Kokusenya  passed 
out  of  the  forest.  Then  he  stationed  his  soldiers 
at  a  certain  place,  and  with  his  mother,  hastened 
to  meet  his  father. 


IV 


KOKUSENYA  and  Tei  Shiryo  met  at  the  foot  of 
Mount  Sekiheki,  and  they  immediately  set  out 
for  General  Kanki's  castle,  where  they  arrived  at 
nightfall.  The  fort  was  stronger  than  any  they 
had  ever  seen  or  heard  of.  The  stone  ramparts 
were  of  a  great  height,  and  the  moat  was  so  deep 
that  the  water  was  of  a  dark-blue  colour.  Here 
and  there  within  the  parapet,  catapults  had  been 
placed  ready  to  shoot  stones  and  arrows  at  a 
moment's  notice.  Kokusenya  walked  up  to  the 
gate  and  cried  aloud:  "Ho  there!  Here  is  one 
who  wishes  to  speak  with  His  Excellency  General 
Kanki.  Open  the  gate ! ' ' 

The  sentries  replied:  "His  Excellency  General 
Kanki  has  been  away  since  yesterday  at  the  Court 
of  His  Majesty  the  great  King  of  Tartary.  We 
do  not  know  when  he  will  be  back.  But  let  us 
tell  you,  that  even  if  he  were  at  home,  it  would 
be  unpardonable  presumption  for  a  stranger  to 
demand  an  interview  with  him, — especially  at 
night.  Let  us  hear  your  business,  and  we  will  de- 
35  385 


386  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

liver  your  message  to  His  Excellency.  You  must 
give  up  all  hope  of  being  received  by  him  in 
audience." 

"Well!"  broke  in  Tei  Shiryo,  "if  His  Excel- 
lency General  Kanki  is  absent,  we  must  see  Lady 
Kanki.  Kindly  tell  her  that  we  have  come  over 
from  Japan.  She  will  then  understand  who  we 
are." 

Hardly  had  he  spoken  these  words,  when  a  great 
uproar  arose  within  the  castle. 

"They  are  Japanese!  We  must  beware  of 
them!  They  must  be  here  for  some  suspicious 
purpose,  if  they  insist  upon  seeing  our  lady!" 

With  these  words  several  soldiers  appeared  at  the 
parapet,  ready  to  fire  on  them  with  their  muskets. 

The  noise  of  the  tumult  reached  the  ears  of 
Kinsho,  Kanki's  wife.  Running  up  the  tower, 
she  bade  the  soldiers  cease,  and  looking  down  out- 
side the  gate,  she  said:  "Visitors,  I  am  Kanki's 
wife.  My  name  is  Kinsho.  What  do  you  want 
with  my  husband?  The  name  of  Japan  has  a 
pleasant  sound  to  my  ear !  Kindly  tell  me  who  you 
are." — She  was  wondering  if  her  father,  by  any 
chance,  was  amongst  the  visitors. — "Soldiers,  do 
not  fire  your  muskets!  Do  not  be  so  rash!" 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENYA       387 

•  Tei  Shiryo  looked  up  to  his  daughter's  face 
through  the  hazy  light  of  the  spring  moon.  ' '  Oh ! " 
said  he,  "are  you  indeed  Kinsho?  I  am  your 
father,  Tei  Shiryo.  I  parted  from  you  when  you 
were  a  mere  baby  two  years  old.  Nevertheless, 
you  must  have  heard  of  me  from  your  nurse.  I 
crossed  over  to  Japan,  and  settled  in  a  part  called 
Hirado.  I  married  a  Japanese  woman,  who  has 
since  borne  me  a  son.  Both  of  them  are  here 
with  me.  We  have  come  to  have  a  private  con- 
sultation with  your  husband,  and  to  ask  for  his 
assistance  in  a  matter  of  great  importance.  Please 
order  the  gates  to  be  opened,  and  allow  us  to 
come  in." 

Kinsho  rejoiced  greatly  to  hear  Tei  Shiryo's 
words,  and  she  longed  to  rush  down  and  embrace 
him.  But  she  was  the  wife  of  General  Kanki,  the 
lord  of  the  castle ;  so  it  was  impossible  for  her  to 
act  with  such  lack  of  dignity  in  the  presence  of 
the  soldiers. 

"All  those  matters  are  well  known  to  me,"  re- 
turned Kinsho,  overcome  with  emotion.  "But 
unless  you  will  give  me  some  proof,  I  cannot  believe 
that  you  are  my  father.  Give  me  some  proof,  if 
you  can!" 


388  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Hereupon  the  soldiers  thoughtlessly  cried  out 
with  one  voice:  "Give  us  some  proof!" 

"My  dearest  daughter,"  replied  the  old  man, 
holding  up  his  hands.  "If  any  proof  is  wanted, 
it  is  in  your  own  possession.  Before  I  departed 
for  Japan,  I  painted  a  portrait  of  myself,  and  left 
it  with  your  nurse,  to  be  given  to  you  as  a  memento 
of  me.  I  have  changed  since  then,  but  my  features 
are  still  much  the  same.  May  I  ask  you  to  com- 
pare the  picture  with  me?  Then  I  am  sure  your 
doubts  will  be  removed." 

"Yes,"  said  Kinsho,  "I  have  that  picture." 

She  took  out  the  portrait  which  she  always 
carried  about  her  person.  She  then  held  up  a 
mirror,  in  such  a  way  that  the  moonlight  cast  a 
reflection  of  the  old  man's  face  upon  it;  and  she 
looked  intently  from  one  to  the  other  for  a  con- 
siderable time.  The  jet-black  hair  and  vivacious 
expression  in  the  portrait  contrasted  strongly  with 
the  wrinkled  face  and  snowy  locks  reflected  in  the 
mirror.  But  the  eyes,  mouth,  and  nose  of  both 
were  so  similar,  that  it  was  impossible  to  doubt 
his  identity. 

"Oh,  you  must  be  indeed  my  own  true,  and 
long-lost  father!"  cried  the  lady.  "Forgive  me 


She  then  held  up  a  mirror 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENYA       389 

for  my  discourteous  words.  I  have  longed  for 
this  moment  for  many  years.  I  was  left  a  mother- 
less orphan  here  in  China,  and  was  filled  with 
grief  when  I  heard  that  you  had  gone  to  Japan, 
When  I  heard  that  Japan  was  far  away  in  the 
East,  I  used  to  worship  the  rising  sun,  as  symbolical 
of  you,  every  morning.  How  often  have  I  un- 
rolled my  map  of  the  world,  and  have  examined 
the  countries  of  China  and  Japan!  Japan  seemed 
on  the  map  to  be  very  near,  but  I  was  astonished 
to  hear  that  it  was  three  thousand  miles  away. 
Thus  I  despaired  of  ever  meeting  you  in  this  life, 
so  you  can  imagine  how  delighted  I  am  to  see 
you,  after  an  interval  of  more  than  twenty  years. 
My  heart  is  filled  with  joy  and  gratitude,  my 
dearest  father!" 

So  saying,  Kinsho  burst  into  tears  of  joy,  and 
Tei  Shiryo  was  also  filled  with  emotion.  The 
tears  of  the  father  and  daughter  seemed  to  mingle 
with  the  moonbeams,  which  became  dim,  as  with 
a  shower  of  rain. 

Now  Kinsho  greatly  wished  to  admit  the  three 
visitors  immediately.  But  this  was  impossible, 
because,  as  the  war  was  not  yet  quite  over,  General 
Kanki  had  been  strictly  ordered  by  the  King  of 


390  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Tartary  on  no  account  to  admit  foreigners  into 
the  castle;  even  if  they  were  his  own  kith  and  kin. 
She  told  them  of  the  order,  and  added  that  she 
was  at  a  loss  what  to  do. 

"It  is  impossible  to  disobey  the  King's  order," 
said  the  old  mother.  "But  I  do  not  think  you 
need  fear  an  old  woman  like  myself.  I  am  very 
desirous  of  seeing  you,  so  surely  you  can  let  me 
in,  even  if  you  refuse  to  admit  the  others." 

"That  is  quite  impossible,"  cried  the  sentinels. 
"Women  are  not  excepted  from  the  Imperial 
order.  But  if  you  will  allow  yourself  to  be 
bound  with  cords  like  a  prisoner,  our  lord 
and  master  will  not  incur  the  wrath  of  the 
Majesty,  should  he  hear  of  it.  So  if  you  insist 
on  entering  the  castle  you  must  be  securely  bound, 
old  woman." 

"Pshaw!  What  insolence!"  cried  Kokusenya, 
wrathfully.  "You  ask  us  to  bind  your  lady's  step- 
mother? It  is  unreasonable  beyond  belief!  We 
Japanese  will  not  endure  such  a  gross  insult !  We 
will  not  meet  or  consult  with  your  master  if  those 
are  his  conditions." 

With  these  words  Kokusenya  took  his  aged 
mother  by  the  arm,  and  was  about  to  depart. 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENYA       391 

But  she  shook  him  off  saying:  "Have  patience, 
my  son!  If  we  wish  to  seek  the  assistance  of  an- 
other in  a  matter  of  great  moment,  we  must  put 
up  with  affronts  and  hardships.  If  our  request 
is  granted,  I  am  willing  to  be  bound  with  cords, 
nay,  even  to  be  fettered  and  handcuffed.  Pray 
bind  me  securely,  at  once,  my  husband,  without 
another  moment's  hesitation." 

Tei  Shiryo  was  moved  by  her  words,  and  he 
bound  her,  very  reluctantly,  hand  and  foot.  The 
sentinels  then  opened  the  gate,  and  permitted  her 
to  enter.  Kinsho  burst  into  tears  again  when  she 
saw  this. 

"  O  dear  father,  and  brother! "  she  cried.  "  For- 
give the  apparent  unkindness  of  the  soldiers. 
They  may  not  disobey  the  decree.  I  shall  take 
my  mother  in  my  charge,  so  you  need  not  be  anx- 
ious about  her  safety.  She  will  tell  me  about 
your  request,  and  I  will  inform  my  husband,  and 
do  my  best  to  gain  his  consent." 

She  added  that,  in  the  event  of  her  husband 
consenting,  she  would  pour  a  solution  of  face 
powder  into  the  moat.  If  he  refused,  she  would 
pour  a  solution  of  rouge.  If  the  river  should  turn 
white  the  visitors  would  know  that  the  answer 


392  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

was  in  the  affirmative.  If  it  should  turn  red,  they 
would  know  that  he  had  refused. 

It  must  be  mentioned  that  the  water  which  Lady 
Kinsho  used  for  her  toilet  flowed  down  into  an 
artificial  pond,  which  led  to  the  moat,  and  from 
there  it  ran  into  the  Hoang  Ho. 

Kokusenya  and  his  father  therefore  had  to 
watch  the  current  of  the  Hoang  Ho,  in  order  to 
know  the  result  of  his  mother's  interview  with 
Kinsho. 


V 


WHEN  the  old  lady  had  been  received  into  the 
castle,  Lady  Kinsho  took  her  into  an  inner  apart- 
ment, where  she  welcomed  her  as  warmly,  and 
treated  her  as  kindly,  as  if  she  had  been  her  real 
mother. 

Presently  General  Kanki  returned  in  high  spirits. 
He  had  that  day  been  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
commander  of  a  regiment  of  100,000  cavalry; 
been  made  a  councillor  of  state,  and  raised  to  the 
peerage.  Kinsho  met  him  at  the  porch  with 
great  reverence,  and,  after  greeting  him,  told  him 
of  all  that  had  happened.  She  gave  an  account 
of  how  her  father,  stepmother,  and  stepbrother 
had  come  from  Japan  to  ask  a  favour  of  him, 
but  how,  according  to  the  royal  command,  she 
had  bade  her  father  and  brother  go  away  and  only 
admitted  her  mother  bound  with  cords. 

Kanki  praised  her  for  her  thoughtfulness,  and 
said  that  he  would  see  his  mother-in-law  immedi- 
ately. The  old  woman  came  in.  After  express- 
ing his  great  joy  at  meeting  her,  he  told  her  that 

393 


394  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

he  deeply  regretted  having  to  receive  her  bound 
in  that  manner. 

"What  do  you  want  with  me?  "  he  asked  in  mild, 
kind  tones.  "Please  tell  me  everything,  without 
reserve.  I  will  do  anything  in  my  power  to  help 
you." 

On  hearing  this,  the  old  woman  heartily  thanked 
him  for  his  kindness.  She  then  told  him  how 
Princess  Sendan  had  drifted  over  to  Japan  the 
previous  winter,  and  how  Kokusenya  and  Tei 
Shiryo  had  determined  to  strike  for  the  restora- 
tion of  the  Ming  dynasty.  After  her  narration, 
she  earnestly  begged  Kanki  to  espouse  their  cause. 

"Then,"  said  Kanki  with  surprise,  "is  Koku- 
senya of  Japan  my  wife's  brother?  He  is  famous 
all  over  this  country  for  his  bravery.  I  was  for- 
merly in  the  service  of  the  Ming  Emperor;  but 
after  his  death  I  became  a  retainer  of  the  King  of 
Tartary.  I  am  now  the  lord  of  a  province  and 
a  castle  under  his  sovereignty.  I  quite  understand 
and  fully  sympathize  with  your  request,  but  I 
cannot  give  you  an  immediate  reply.  You  must 
give  me  time  to  think  the  matter  over." 

"You  are  a  coward!"  said  the  old  woman  ex- 
citedly. "When  one  first  gives  utterance  to  a 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENYA       395 

matter  like  this,  there  is  danger  of  it  becoming 
known  abroad,  if  an  immediate  answer  is  not 
given.  Whether  you  grant  our  request  or  refuse 
it,  you  must  give  us  a  reply  at  once.  Please  do 
this  for  us." 

"Certainly,  madame,  I  will  immediately  take 
Kokusenya's  side." 

No  sooner  had  he  spoken,  than  Kanki  seized 
his  wife  with  one  hand,  and  drawing  his  sword 
with  the  other,  attempted  to  plunge  it  into  her 
breast.  The  old  woman,  almost  overcome  with 
horror  and  amazement,  sprang  to  her  feet,  and 
rushed  between  them  in  order  to  shield  her  step- 
daughter with  her  own  person.  Then  she  de- 
manded in  sharp  tones:  "Are  you  mad  to  commit 
such  a  wanton  outrage?  Why  do  you  wish  to  kill 
Kinsho  before  her  mother?  Don't  be  afraid, 
daughter,  you  shall  not  die  as  long  as  I  am 
here!" 

Overwhelmed  with  her  stepmother's  kindness, 
the  terror-stricken  Kinsho  cried,  with  sobs: 
"Mother,  your  kind  words  touch  me  to  the  heart; 
but  you  must  not  be  wounded  for  my  sake!" 

Kanki  sprang  back,  and,  bowing  to  the  old  wom- 
an, replied:  "Pardon  me  for  my  mad  act,  but 


396  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

the  truth  is,  the  King  of  Tartary  summoned  me 
to  him  yesterday,  and  gave  me  the  following 
commands : '  News  have  reached  me  that  a  warrior 
named  Kokusenya  has  come  over  from  Japan 
with  the  intention  of  restoring  the  Ming  dynasty. 
So  I  order  you  to  gather  together  100,000  cavalry, 
and  to  march  against  him  in  order  to  subjugate 
him.'  I  did  not  know  that  Kokusenya  was  my 
brother-in-law,  so  I  vowed  to  kill  him,  and  thus 
rid  the  King  of  his  anxiety  and  trouble.  But  if 
I  now  suddenly  join  Kokusenya,  and  hoist  a 
banner  of  revolt,  everyone  will  say  that  my  wife 
has  influenced  me,  and  I  should  go  down  to  pos- 
terity as  the  laughing-stock  of  all  the  nation.  Thus 
I  should  forfeit  all  my  honour  as  a  warrior.  There- 
fore I  have  determined,  even  though  it  is  a  cruel 
deed,  to  kill  my  wife.  Then  all  grounds  for  such 
censure  will  be  removed.  After  I  have  done  that, 
I  shall  espouse  Kokusenya's  cause.  Dearest  wife, 
it  is  my  loyalty  to  the  late  Emperor  that  makes  me 
wish  to  kill  you,  but  it  is  your  mother's  kindness 
which  dissuades  me  from  doing  so" — at  this  point 
he  burst  into  hot  and  passionate  tears. — "It  cuts 
me  to  the  heart  to  make  such  a  terrible  request, 
but,  my  dearest  wife,  are  you  willing  to  sacrifice 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENYA       397 

yourself  and  to  lay  down  your  life  for  the  sake  of 
my  loyalty?" 

It  gradually  dawned  upon  Kinsho  what  her 
husband  intended  to  do.  "Well,"  she  said  with 
a  resigned  look,  "I  understand  your  reason,  my 
husband.  I  am  willing  to  be  put  to  death,  if  by 
doing  so  I  can  be  of  service  to  the  Imperial  House. 
You  may  take  my  life." 

She  gently  pushed  the  old  woman  to  one  side, 
and  bared  her  breast  to  receive  Kanki's  sword. 
The  mother,  who  was  unable  to  use  her  hands 
owing  to  the  cords,  took  Kinsho's  sleeve  between 
her  teeth,  and  forced  her  away.  Kanki  then  ap- 
proached his  wife  with  his  naked  sword;  but  the 
old  lady,  quick  as  thought,  ran  behind  him  and 
pulled  him  off  with  her  teeth.  Kinsho  then  again 
prepared  to  meet  her  fate,  but  the  mother,  almost 
choked  with  grief,  cried  out:  "Stop!  Stop!  If. 
I  allow  you  to  kill  Kinsho,  everyone  will  say  that 
a  Japanese  stepmother  has  allowed  a  Chinese 
stepdaughter  to  be  killed  on  account  of  her  hatred 
of  the  latter!  I  should  not  only  be  shamed,  but 
it  would  be  an  everlasting  disgrace  to  Japan.  I 
could  never  endure  it.  Kanki,  if  you  are  deter- 
mined to  kill  Kinsho,  you  must  kill  me  also." 


398  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

With  this  utterance  she  burst  into  bitter  tears. 
Kanki  stood  for  some  minutes,  buried  in  thought, 
his  reasoning  powers  struggling  with  his  emotion. 
But  reason  was  victorious. 

"Mother,"  he  said,  "if  you  will  not  allow  me 
to  kill  my  wife,  I  shall  be  obliged  to  fight  with 
Kokusenya  in  compliance  with  the  Tartar  King's 
commands.  Now  that  I  must  fight  with  your 
son,  I  will  not  detain  you  any  longer  in  the  castle, 
lest  people  should  think  I  have  kept  you  as  a 
hostage.  Wife,  order  a  palanquin  in  which  to 
send  our  mother  from  the  castle." 

"There  is  no  need  to  send  her  away,  my  lord," 
answered  Kinsho.  "As  I  promised  my  father,  I 
will  pour  a  solution  of  rouge  into  the  moat  as  a 
sign  of  your  refusal."  As  she  spoke,  she  ascended 
to  her  toilet  chamber,  and  taking  a  small  dagger 
she  thrust  it  into  her  breast.  She  then  let  a  quan- 
tity of  her  blood  flow  into  a  basin,  and  poured  it 
into  the  pond  below  her  apartment. 

The  blood-dyed  water  slowly  flowed  out  to  the 
Hoang  Ho.  Kokusenya  saw  it,  and  was  keenly 
disappointed  to  learn  of  Kanki's  refusal.  Then 
he  was  filled  with  alarm  for  his  mother's  safety. 
He  hurried  to  the  castle-gate,  and  soon  found  means 


Mr.  KoshirO  as  Kokusenya 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENYA       399 

of  entering  the  courtyard.  In  one  of  the  apart- 
ments there,  to  his  great  joy,  he  found  his  mother 
safe  and  sound .  He  sprang  up ,  and  cutting  her  free 
from  the  cords,  presented  himself  before  Kanki. 

"You  are  General  Kanki,  I  believe,"  he  said  in 
angry  tones.  "I  sent  my  mother  into  the  castle 
to  ask  for  your  assistance.  When  you  bear  in 
mind  that  your  wife  is  my  sister,  you  should  will- 
ingly and  gladly  support  me.  Give  me  an  im- 
mediate answer!" 

1 '  Humph ! ' '  replied  Kanki,  disdainfully.  ' '  If  you 
appeal  to  me  through  my  affection  for  my  wife, 
I  am  still  more  determined  to  refuse  your  request. 
I  am  not  so  poor-spirited  that  I  allow  a  woman  to 
influence  me!  Leave  me!  I  wish  to  have  no 
further  communication  with  you!" 

Then  both  heroes  hurled  expressions  of  defiance 
at  each  other,  and  prepared  to  fight,  when  Kinsho 
staggered  into  the  room,  holding  a  blood-stained 
dagger  in  her  hand.  "Stop!  Stop!"  she  cried. 
"See  from  where  I  obtained  the  rouge  which  I 
poured  into  the  water.  Let  that  settle  your 
quarrel." 

After  saying  those  words,  she  bared  her  breast 
from  which  the  blood  was  flowing  freely. 


400  OLD  JAPANESE  DRAMAS 

Kokusenya  and  Kanld  looked  with  amazement 
at  the  horrible  sight,  and  the  old  woman  fell 
swooning  to  the  ground. 

"My  husband!"  the  dying  woman  gasped.  "I 
have  killed  myself!  No  one  now  can  say  that 
you  have  been  influenced  by  a  woman!  Pray 
support  my  brother,  and  grant  my  parents'  earnest 
request!" 

"What  a  noble  death!"  exclaimed  Kanki,  turn- 
ing aside  to  hide  his  fast  falling  tears.  "Your 
death  shall  not  be  in  vain,  dear  wife!"  He  then 
fell  on  his  knees  before  Kokusenya.  "Brother, 
I  will  gladly  join  you  in  your  noble  undertaking. 
Allow  me  to  become  an  officer  under  your  com- 
mand. May  I  suggest  that  you  assume  the  title 
of  Kokusenya,  Commander-in-chief,  and  King  of 
Yempei." 

So  saying,  Kanki  crossed  the  room  to  a  chest, 
from  which  he  produced  a  complete  suit  of  com- 
mander-in-chief's  armour.  This  he  presented  to 
Kokusenya,  who  wore  it  thankfully.  His  mother 
looked  at  him  with  admiration.  "My  heart  is 
filled  with  joy!"  she  said.  "Now  that  General 
Kanki  has  joined  you,  you  will  doubtless  succeed 
in  your  task.  But  if  I  live  on  after  the  death  of 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENY/t       401 

my  stepdaughter  my  words  would  prove  false. 
It  will  not  only  be  my  own  shame,  but  also  a  dis- 
grace to  Japan.  I  can't  bear  the  thought  of  it." 
She  had  scarcely  uttered  these  words,  when  she 
snatched  Kinshs's  dagger,  and  plunged  it  into 
her  own  throat.  Kanki  and  Kokusenya  sprang 
up  with  horror.  "Don't  either  of  you  be  sur- 
prised!" said  the  old  woman  with  dying  gasps. 
"Don't  grieve  at  our  deaths!  Regard  the  King 
of  Tartary  as  the  enemy  of  your  mother  and  of 
your  wife,  and  be  sure  to  take  revenge  upon  him. 
You  will  thus  do  your  best  for  the  restoration  of 
the  Ming  dynasty.  Farewell!" 

Almost  at  the  same  moment,  the  old  woman 

and  KinshO  breathed  their  last. 
26 


VI 


KOKUSENYA,  with  the  assistance  of  General 
Kanki,  was  able  to  organize  a  mighty  army  as 
powerful  as  "a  tiger  furnished  with  wings" — to 
quote  a  Chinese  saying.  He  fought  many  battles 
against  the  Tartars,  and  captured  over  fifty  of 
their  castles.  Wherever  he  led  his  banner  he  was 
crowned  with  victory,  and  the  name  of  Koku- 
senya,  King  of  Yempei,  speedily  became  known 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  country. 

In  the  meantime,  General  Go  Sankei  had  been 
hiding  for  seven  dreary  years,  with  the  young  heir 
to  the  Ming  throne,  in  a  secluded  place  in  Mount 
Kyusen. 

When  he  heard  the  news  of  Kokusenya's  vic- 
tories, he  came  down  with  the  young  Prince,  and 
joined  the  army. 

Kokusenya's  wife  Komutsu,  with  Princess  Sen- 
dan,  came  over  from  Japan. 

Then  Kokusenya  in  conjunction  with  Generals 
Go  Sankei  and  Kanki,  marched  upon  Nanking, 

now  the  Tartar  King's  stronghold,  and  quickly 

402 


THE  BATTLES  OF  KOKUSENYA       403 

and  easily  captured  it.  The  Tartar  King  was 
punished  by  being  beaten  with  five  hundred  blows 
of  a  bamboo,  and  was  afterwards  sent  back  as  a 
prisoner  to  Tartary.  The  traitor  Ri  Toten  was 
put  to  death,  and  Kokusenya  made  the  young 
Prince  ascend  the  throne,  naming  him  Emperor 
Eiryaku,  to  the  extreme  joy  of  all  the  nation. 


Irish  Plays 

By 
LADY  GREGORY 


Lady  Gregory's  name  has  become  a  house- 
hold word  in  America  and  her  works  should 
occupy  an  exclusive  niche  in  every  library.  Mr. 
George  Bernard  Shaw,  in  a  recently  published 
interview,  said  Lady  Gregory  "is  the  greatest 
living  Irishwoman.  .  .  .  Even  in  the  plays  of 
Lady  Gregory,  penetrated  as  they  are  by  that 
intense  love  of  Ireland  which  is  unintelligible 
to  the  many  drunken  blackguards  with  Irish 
names  who  make  their  nationality  an  excuse 
for  their  vices  and  their  worthlessness,  there 
is  no  flattery  of  the  Irish;  she  writes  about 
the  Irish  as  Moliere  wrote  about  the  French, 
having  a  talent  curiously  like  Moliere." 

"  The  witchery  of  Yeats,  the  vivid  imagination 
of  Synge,  the  amusing  literalism  mixed  with  the 
pronounced  romance  of  their  imitators,  have 
their  place  and  have  been  given  their  praise 
without  stint.  But  none  of  these  can  compete 
with  Lady  Gregory  for  the  quality  of  uni- 
versality. The  best  beauty  in  Lady  Gregory's 
art  is  its  spontaneity.  It  is  never  forced.  .  .  . 
She  has  read  and  dreamed  and  studied,  and 
slept  and  wakened  and  worked,  and  the  great 
ideas  that  have  come  to  her  have  been  nourished 
and  trained  till  they  have  grown  to  be  of  great 
stature." — Chicago  Tribune. 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

NEW  YORK  LONDON 


Irish  Folk-History  Plays 

By 
LADY  GREGORY 


First  Series.     The  Tragedies 
GRANIA  KINCORA  DERVORGILLA 

Second  Series.     The   Tragic   Comedies 

THE  CANAVANS  THE  WHITE  COCKADE 

THE  DELIVERER 
2  ools.    Each,  $I.5O  net.    By  mail,  $1.65 

Lady  Gregory  has  preferred  going  for  her  material  to  the  tra- 
ditional folk-history  rather  than  to  the  authorized  printed  versions, 
and  she  has  been  able,  in  so  doing,  to  make  her  plays  more  living. 
One  of  these,  Kincora,  telling  of  Brian  Boru,  who  reigned  in  the 
year  1000,  evoked  such  keen  local  interest  that  an  old  farmer 
travelled  from  the  neighborhood  of  Kincora  to  see  it  acted  in 
Dublin. 

The  story  of  Crania,  on  which  Lady  Gregory  has  founded  one 
of  these  plays,  was  taken  entirely  from  tradition.  Grama  was  a 
beautiful  young  woman  and  was  to  have  been  married  to  Finn,  the 
great  leader  of  the  Fenians;  but  before  the  marriage,  she  went 
away  from  the  bridegroom  with  his  handsome  young  kinsman, 
Diarmuid.  After  many  years,  when  Diarmuid  had  died  (and  Finn 
had  a  hand  in  his  death),  she  went  back  to  Finn  and  became  his 
queen. 

Another  of  Lady  Gregory's  plays,  The  Canavans  dealt  with 
the  stormy  times  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  whose  memory  is  a  horror  in 
Ireland  second  only  to  that  of  Cromwell. 

The  White  Cockade  is  founded  on  a  tradition  of  King  James 
having  escaped  from  Ireland  after  the  battle  of  the  Boyne  in  a  wine 
barrel. 

The  choice  of  folk  history  rather  than  written  history  gives  a 
freshness  of  treatment  and  elasticity  of  material  which  made  the 
late  J.  M..  Synge  say  that  "  Lady  Gregory's  method  had  brought 
back  the  possibility  of  writing  historic  plays." 

All  these  plays,  except  Crania,  which  has  not  yet  been  staged, 
have  been  very  successfully  performed  in  Ireland.  They  are  written 
in  the  dialect  of  Kiltartan,  which  had  already  become  familiar  to 
readers  of  Lady  Gregory's  books. 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

NEW  YORK  LONDON 


New  Comedies 

By 
LADY  GREGORY 

The    Bogie    Men — The    Full    Moon — Coats 
Darner's  Gold — McDonough's  Wife 

8°.    With  Portrait  in  Photogravure,   $150  net.    By  mail,  $1,65 

The  plays  have  been  acted  with  great  success 
by  the  Abbey  Company,  and  have  been  highly 
extolled  by  appreciative  audiences  and  an  en- 
thusiastic press.  They  are  distinguished  by  a 
humor  of  unchallenged  originality. 

One  of  the  plays  in  the  collection,  "  Coats," 
depends  for  its  plot  upon  the  rivalry  of  two 
editors,  each  of  whom  has  written  an  obituary 
notice  of  the  other.  The  dialogue  is  full  of 
crisp  humor.  "McDonough's  Wife,"  another 
drama  that  appears  in  the  volume,  is  based  on  a 
legend,  and  explains  how  a  whole  town  rendered 
honor  against  its  will.  "  The  Bogie  Men  "  has  as 
its  underlying  situation  an  amusing  misunder- 
standing of  two  chimney-sweeps.  The  wit  and 
absurdity  of  the  dialogue  are  in  Lady  Gregory's 
best  vein.  "  Darner's  Gold  "  contains  the  story 
of  a  miser  beset  by  his  gold-hungry  relations. 
Their  hopes  and  plans  are  upset  by  one  they  had 
believed  to  be  of  the  simple  of  the  world,  but 
who  confounds  the  Wisdom  of  the  Wise.  "  The 
Full  Moon  "  presents  a  little  comedy  enacted  on 
an  Irish  railway  station.  It  is  characterized  by 
humor  of  an  original  and  delightful  character 
and  repartee  that  is  distinctly  clever. 

G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 

NEW  YORK  LONDON 


Seven  Short  Plays 

By 
Lady  Gregory 

Author  of  "New  Comedies,"  "Our  Irish  Theatre,"  etc. 

72°.     $1.50 

The  plays  in  this  volume  are  the  following : 
Spreading  the  News,  Hyacinth  Halvey,  The 
Rising  of  the  Moon,  The  Jackdaw,  The  Work' 
house  Ward,  The  Travelling  Man,  The  Gaol  Gate, 
The  volume  also  contains  music  for  the  songs  in 
the  plays  and  notes  explaining  the  conception  of 
the  plays. 

Among  the  three  great  exponents  of  the 
modern  Celtic  movement  in  Ireland,  Lady 
Gregory  holds  an  unusual  place.  It  is  she  from 
whom  came  the  chief  historical  impulse  which 
resulted  hi  the  re-creation  for  the  present 
generation  of  the  elemental  poetry  of  early 
Ireland,  its  wild  disorders,  its  loves  and  hates — 
all  the  passionate  light  and  shadow  of  that  fierce 
and  splendid  race. 


G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons 

New  York  London 


120489 


ir  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

A    000715941     1 


